Sir John Newport, 1st Baronet
Sir John Newport, 1st Baronet | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Waterford, Ireland |
| Died | February 9, 1843 (aged 86) |
| Occupation(s) | Politician, Banker |
| Known for | Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland |
Sir John Newport, 1st Baronet (24 October 1756 – 9 February 1843) was an Anglo-Irish Whig statesman who held the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland.
Life
The son of Simon Newport, a banker based in Waterford, and Elizabeth Riall from Clonmel, Newport received his education at Eton College followed by Trinity College Dublin before entering into his father's banking enterprise. He took part in the 1783 convention of Dublin volunteer delegates and contributed to a committee examining the representation of Irish boroughs.
Newport was granted a baronetcy in 1789, with the title set to pass to his brother William. He stood for election in Waterford City during the 1802 general election but only secured the seat after lodging a successful petition in 1803. He served as Waterford's representative until he stepped down from Parliament in 1832. When the Ministry of All the Talents was established in 1806, Newport was appointed as Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer and admitted to the English Privy Council. He delivered the Irish budget speeches in both 1806 and 1807 before resigning alongside his fellow ministers. In November 1806, he was elected simultaneously for St Mawes and Waterford but opted to serve for Waterford. The University of Oxford conferred upon him a Doctor of Civil Law degree in 1810.
Opposed to the government's policy on Catholic emancipation, Newport refused to accept office under Lord Liverpool.
He was a vocal critic of the Earl of Elgin’s extraction of the Elgin Marbles from Athens, denouncing it as an act of unjustifiable looting.
Newport’s last address in the House of Commons occurred in June 1832 during discussions on Ireland's Parliamentary Reform Bill. In October 1834, he became the inaugural Comptroller General of the Exchequer, retiring with a pension five years later in 1839. He passed away at Newpark near Waterford in 1843 and was interred at Waterford Cathedral. His relentless questioning in Parliament earned him the moniker "Political Ferret."
Works
Newport authored The State of the Borough Representation of Ireland in 1783 and 1800, published in London in 1832.
Family
He married Ellen, daughter of Shapland Carew, Member of Parliament for Waterford city; they had no offspring. Upon his death, the baronetcy was inherited by his nephew, Reverend John Newport, and became extinct following the nephew’s death in 1859.
Notes
- Attribution