George Clinton

Admiral of the Fleet George Clinton (c. 1686 – 10 July 1761) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. Benefiting from the patronage of Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, he served as a naval captain during the 1720s and 1730s.

Clinton went on to be Governor of the Colony of Newfoundland, Commodore and Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet and then Governor of the Province of New York where he had to deal with the threat of a French attack during King George's War. He could not cope with the liberal politicians of the New York assembly who were led by James De Lancey and resigned in 1753.

Clinton also served as Member of Parliament for Saltash, a rotten borough in Cornwall, from March 1757 until his death in July 1761.

Early career

Born the second son of Francis Clinton, 6th Earl of Lincoln, and Susan Clinton (née Penninston), Clinton joined the Royal Navy in 1708 during the War of the Spanish Succession. Clinton enjoyed the patronage of Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, who was his sister-in-law's brother, and, having been promoted to captain on 16 June 1716, he was given command of the fifth-rate . He transferred to the command of the fourth-rate in 1720 and served in the Baltic Sea under Admiral Sir John Norris: the ship was lost during the return journey to England, but Clinton was acquitted at the subsequent court-martial. In 1732, Clinton was appointed commodore of a squadron of ships which was despatched to Newfoundland where he also became governor of the colony. In that role he supervised the newly appointed local magistrates and protected the local fishing industry. but, with the War of Jenkins' Ear looming, he stepped down to take command of the third-rate in 1739 and of the second-rate in 1740 during the War of the Austrian Succession. and vice-admiral on 23 June 1744, he sought to protect New York's northern border from attack by the French: however liberal members of the New York assembly resisted his proposals as they wanted to maintain trade links with the French and with the Native Americans who were under French influence. Working with the Mohawk chief Hendrick Theyanoguin, Johnson was able to recruit Mohawk warriors to fight on the side of the British in 1747 during King George's War. After continuing disputes with the assembly over military expenditure and payment of the governor's salary, Clinton resigned as governor in October 1753.

Later career Clinton was elected member of parliament for Saltash, a rotten borough in Cornwall, in May 1754. Promoted to Admiral of the Fleet in March 1757, he died on 10 July 1761. their children included General Sir Henry Clinton, who became a British commander in the American Revolutionary War, and Lucy Mary Clinton, who married Admiral Robert Roddam. of Charles Clinton, patriarch of a line of Clintons later prominent in New York. George Clinton, as Governor of the Province of New York, politically patronized Charles Clinton and Charles Clinton's eponymous son George Clinton, who would later become the first Governor of the State of New York and Vice President of the United States. Another son of Charles Clinton was James Clinton; both James and George served as Revolutionary War generals under George Washington opposite their distant cousin Sir Henry Clinton.