TUFTON, Hon. John (1773-99).

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790-1820, ed. R. Thorne, 1986
Available from Boydell and Brewer

Constituency

Dates

1796 - 28 May 1799

Family and Education

b. 22 Nov. 1773, 3rd s. of Sackville, 8th Earl of Thanet, and bro. of Hon. Henry Tufton*. educ. Westminster 1786; Jesus, Camb. 1798. unm.

Offices Held

Capt. Trench’s corps 1793.

Biography

Tufton, returned on the interest of his eldest brother Lord Thanet, maintained the family’s Whig politics. He had joined Brooks’s Club, 29 Apr. 1795. He divided with opposition three times in December 1796 and supported Grey’s motion for parliamentary reform, 26 May 1797. Like his brother Henry, he did not secede with Fox; he opposed the assessed taxes, 14 Dec. 1797 and 4 Jan., and supported Sheridan’s and Cavendish’s motions on the Irish insurrection, 14, 22 June 1798. No speech of his is known. He matriculated at Jesus, Cambridge on 27 Apr. 1798, which suggests a change of direction.

He died 28 May 1799. His obituary stressed his scholarly talents, but doubted if his retiring disposition would have allowed him to play an active part in public affairs.

Gent. Mag. (1799), i. 530.

Ref Volumes: 1790-1820

Author: J. M. Collinge

Notes