Name Thomas Stanwix Service/branch British Army | Died March 14, 1725 Rank Brigadier general | |
Allegiance Kingdom of Great Britain Battles/wars War of the Spanish Succession Battles and wars War of the Spanish Succession | ||
Brigadier General Thomas Stanwix (1670 – 14 March 1725) was a British Army officer, politician and Governor of Gibraltar.
Career
Stanwix joined the Army and had become a captain-lieutenant in Hasting's Foot Regiment by 1692. In March 1702 he was elected Member of Parliament for Carlisle. He was appointed Lieutenant-Governor for Carlisle in 1705 and found that his main challenge was stopping the smuggling across the border between England and Scotland.
In 1703, during the War of the Spanish Succession, he was present at the Battle of Caia in Portugal. In 1711 he became Governor of Gibraltar. Except from a personal perspective he was unsuccessful as a governor, as his main achievement was to become richer than when he arrived. Observers felt that he should have concentrated on encouraging the Dutch to leave so that the benefits of the Capture of Gibraltar (in 1704) could be directed entirely in Britain's direction. Stanwick was tenacious as even when he was replaced by David Colyear he stayed on as lieutenant-governor for some months.
In 1713 in returned to England and became Mayor of Carlisle for 1715 as well as Deputy Lieutenant of Cumberland, thereby increasing his influence in the Carlisle area. He was a Whig MP who strongly supported Robert Walpole.
He lost his seat in Carlisle and, in 1721, instead became MP for Newport as well as Governor of Kingston-upon-Hull (1721 to his death). In 1722 he became MP for Yarmouth .
He was also Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea from 1714 until 1720.
He died in 1725.