Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon

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Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon (born November 28, 1661 in England, † May 31, 1723 in London ) was an English politician and governor of New York and New Jersey from 1702 to 1708 .

Life

Edward Hyde was the only child of Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon (1638–1709), and Theodosia Capell (1640–1661), daughter of Arthur Capell. He was the nephew of Anne Hyde , the first wife of the future King James II . He was also a cousin of the future Queen Anne .

As apparent marriage of his father, he carried the courtesy title Viscount Cornbury from 1674 . 1675 he enrolled to study at Christ Church College of Oxford University , a. In 1683 he acquired the rank of Lieutenant Colonel with the Royal Regiment of Dragoons , in 1689 he was promoted to Colonel . He served repeatedly as a Tory MP in the English House of Commons , from 1685 to 1687 and 1689 to 1695 as Knight of the Shire for Wiltshire and from 1695 to 1701 as Burgess for Christchurch . He also held various representative offices at the English court.

In 1702 he was appointed to succeed Richard Coote as colonial governor of New York. Soon after, he was also appointed to the New Jersey colony. He held both offices at the same time until 1708. In New York, the political situation was tense when he took office. The colony was split into supporters and opponents of the 1691 failed Leisler Rebellion . Acting Governor John Nanfan , who had been in office until Hyde's arrival, supported the Pro-Leisler group. Hyde hit the other side. Nanfan was arrested on alleged wrongdoing and imprisoned for a year and a half before he was acquitted by the government in London. Both in New York and in New Jersey, which was also divided internally, Hyde turned out to be corrupt. Hyde was extremely unpopular during his tenure and lived an elaborate lifestyle that ended up sending him to New York City Debt Prison.

When his father died in 1709, he inherited his fortune and title as 3rd Earl of Clarendon . The inheritance enabled him to buy himself free and return to England . Because of his earl title, he was henceforth a member of the House of Lords . In 1714 he became the last English ambassador to the Electorate of Hanover . This office expired in the same year when the local elector became King of Great Britain as George I.

Lord Cornbury (attributed to), unknown painter

Womens clothing

His political opponents rumored that he was out and about in women's clothes at night, but also on official occasions. In the light of current historical research, this seems to be more defamation than true. He is said to have opened the New York Assembly in 1702 with a train, cape and fan in the style of Queen Anne. Hence, he was credited (Ross 1988) with being a transgender or transvestite with cross-dressing . Bonomi (1998) ruled this out because a royal governor was not allowed to do this under any circumstances. She blames it on a purposefully spread rumor in order to destroy his character. This fits in with the intentions of the moral reform societies in the 18th century. But there are several sources that describe him outside of the office in women's clothing.

Marriage and offspring

From his marriage in 1685 to Katherine O'Brien, 8th Baroness Clifton (1663–1706), he had three children:

  • Catherine Hyde († young);
  • Edward Hyde, Viscount Cornbury, 9th Baron Clifton (1691-1713);
  • Theodosia Hyde, 10th Baroness Clifton (1695-1722) ⚭ John Bligh, 1st Earl of Darnley (1687-1728).

Since his son died before him, his title of nobility fell on his death in 1723 to his cousin Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Rochester (1672-1753).

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Powicke & Fryde: Handbook of British Chronology. Second Edition, London, 1961, p. 422

literature

  • Patricia Bonomi: The Lord Cornbury Scandal. The Politics of Reputation in British America . University of North Carolina Press, 1998.
  • Shelly Ross: Fall From Grace. Sex, Scandal, and Corruption in American Politics from 1702 to the Present. Ballantine Books, New York 1988, ISBN 978-0-345-35381-8 .

Web links

predecessor Office successor
Henry Hyde Earl of Clarendon
1709-1723 		Henry Hyde
personal data
SURNAME Hyde, Edward, 3rd Earl of Clarendon
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Governor of New York and New Jersey
DATE OF BIRTH November 28, 1661
PLACE OF BIRTH England
DATE OF DEATH May 31, 1723
Place of death London