Lord George Lennox


Lord George Henry Lennox was a British Army officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1761 to 1790.

Early life

He was the second son of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, and was a great-grandson of King Charles II of England. He was a brother of the famous Lennox sisters.

Military career

From 1758 to 1762 George Lennox was the Colonel of the 33rd Regiment of Foot. In 1757 a second battalion of the 33rd Regiment had been raised. In 1758 this battalion became an independent regiment, the 72nd Regiment of Foot. At that time his elder brother Charles Lennox had been the Colonel of the 33rd and was then appointed Colonel of the new regiment. George Lennox took command of the 33rd Regiment. At the beginning of May 1758 the 33rd Regiment was stationed in Blandford, Dorset and was then moved to the Isle of Wight to take part in an attack on the French coast at St Malo on 5 May in the Seven Years' War. On 1 August both Brothers Regiments were involved in a highly successful raid on Cherbourg, which resulted in the destruction of 30 French ships, and the capture of 200 guns and rockets, plus a number of French Regimental Colours and a large quantity of booty. After this raid George Lennox and the 33rd Regiment remained inactive, garrisoned on the Isle of Wight on internal security duties.
On 29 December 1762, he was appointed Colonel of the 25th Regiment of Foot, which he commanded until his death. On 16 February 1784, he was appointed Constable of the Tower of London.

Parliamentary career

He was the Member of Parliament for Chichester from 1761 to 1767 and for Sussex from 1767 to 1790. He was succeeded in the latter seat by his son.
He was appointed a member of the Privy Council in 1784.

Later life

In 1772 he was elected Mayor of Chichester.

Family

Lord George Lennox married Lady Louisa Kerr, daughter of William Kerr, 4th Marquess of Lothian in 1759, and they had four children:
Despite the Hanoverian side taken by his father, George made an arranged marriage for his own son Charles with the heiress of Clan Gordon, a notable Jacobite family.

Ancestry