Henry Seymour Conway

Infobox Military Person
name=Henry Conway
lived=1721–1795


caption=Field Marshal Conway
nickname=
placeofbirth=
placeofdeath=Henley-on-Thames, Berkshire, Kingdom of Great Britain
allegiance=
branch=
serviceyears=
rank=Field Marshal
unit=
commands=
battles=War of Austrian Succession
awards=
relations=
laterwork=

Field Marshal Henry Seymour Conway (1721 – 9 July 1795) was a British general and statesman. A brother of the 1st Marquess of Hertford, and cousin of Horace Walpole he began his military career in the War of the Austrian Succession, and eventually rose to the rank of Field Marshal (1759).

Early army career

Conway joined the Molesworth's Regiment of Dragoons in 1737. During the War of Austrian Succession he served as a lieutenant in the 1st Foot Guards in 1743 at Dettingen and in 1745 at Fontenoy. He fought at Culloden in 1746 during the Jacobite Rebellion and in Germany in 1761 during the Seven Years War [Heathcote T.A. "The British Field Marshals 1733-1997", Pen & Sword Ltd, 1999, ISBN 0 85052 696 5] .

Political career

Conway was mentored in his political career by his cousin Horace Walpole. Both were senior members Rockingham faction of the Whigs. Serving in the House of Commons from 1741 to 1774 and again from 1775 to 1784, Conway became a leading Whig, opposing the King's action against John Wilkes in 1763 and entering office with Lord Rockingham as Secretary of State for the Southern Department in 1765 before switching to the Northern Department the next year, serving until his resignation in 1768. In these offices, Conway sought to urge a moderate policy towards the American colonies, being the principal supporter of the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766, and opposing the taxation policies of Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend.

Return to the Army

Following his resignation in January 1768, Conway returned to the military, and in 1772 was made a full general and Governor of Jersey. He remained an important figure in the Commons, opposing the British attempt to suppress the American Revolt, and his motion in March 1782 was partly responsible for the fall of the North government. He was rewarded with a cabinet position and the office of Commander-in-Chief in the new Rockingham ministry, but left the government a year later with the establishment of the Fox-North Coalition. His political career came to an end in 1784 when he lost his seat in parliament due to his opposition to the government of William Pitt.

Conway's English residence was Park Place at Remenham in Berkshire. He married Caroline the widow of Charles, Earl of Aylesbury, and daughter of Lieutenant-General John Campbell, later the Duke of Argyll, on 19 December 1747. They had one daughter, the sculptor Anne Seymour Damer.

References

See also

* Conway's Bridge at Park Place

External links

* [http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/hsconway.html Henry Seymour Conway (1721–1795)] from David Nash Ford's "Royal Berkshire History"