St Vincent, John Jervis, 1st Earl St Vincent (1735-1823)

British admiral of the fleet. In 1793 he captured the West Indian islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. In 1797 he defeated the Spanish fleet off Cape St Vincent. As a result, he was awarded an earldom and a pension of £3,000. In the Addington ministry he served as first lord of the Admiralty, but his somewhat drastic proposals for reform and his rigid economies proved an unpopular policy. He was an exceedingly strict disciplinarian and averted a mutiny in the fleet at Spithead, England, by his strong measures.

St Vincent was born in Meaford, Staffordshire, England. He entered the navy in 1749, becoming lieutenant in 1755, commander in 1759, and post captain in 1760. He fought in Keppel's action of 1778. He was created a Knight of the Bath after seizing the French ship Pégase in 1782, and took part during the same year in the relief of Gibraltar by Lord Howe. In 1783 he was member of Parliament for Launceston, and in the following year for Yarmouth. In 1785 he was promoted to rear-admiral, and in 1793 to vice-admiral.