Sir Danvers Osborn, 3rd Baronet
Sir Danvers Osborn, Bt | |
---|---|
James DeLancey | |
Personal details | |
Born | Shefford, England | 17 November 1715
Died | 12 October 1753 New York City, Province of New York | (aged 37)
Profession | Governor |
Sir Danvers Osborn, 3rd Baronet (17 November 1715 – 12 October 1753) served briefly in 1753 as colonial governor of New York Province. During the Jacobite rising of 1745, he had raised and commanded troops in support of King George II of Great Britain. Osborn later served as a Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire (1747–1753). In 1750, he traveled to Nova Scotia and was part of the Nova Scotia Council. He had a history of melancholia and committed suicide in New York shortly after he had taken office.
Early life
Osborn was born on 17 November 1715, in the village of Chicksands (Shefford, Bedfordshire, England), which was the seat of the Osborn family. His father was John Osborn, eldest son of Sir John Osborn, 2nd Baronet (see Osborn baronets). Of the previous four generations of paternal relatives, two grandmothers (Lady Doroty Danvers and Lady Eleanor Danvers) had belonged to the Danvers lineage. Osborn's mother was Sarah Byng. Her father was George Byng, the 1st Viscount Torrington, whereas her brother was the Admiral John Byng. Both Byng relatives were prominent figures against the Jacobite rising of 1689. In 1720, he succeeded his grandfather in the baronetcy.
Osborn was married to Lady Mary Montagu on 25 September 1740. She was of the 8th generation of
When Charles Edward Stuart invaded Britain during the Jacobite rising of 1745 on behalf of the House of Stuart, Osborn raised troops to support the King George II and commanded the forces into battle within Colonel Bedford's regiment under the Duke of Cumberland.
Political career
Subsequently, Osborn represented Bedfordshire as a Member of Parliament (1747–1753). In 1750, following the 2nd Earl of Halifax, who was presiding the Board of Trade and founding the city of Halifax in Nova Scotia, Danvers Osborn travelled to Nova Scotia for six weeks, integrating into the Nova Scotia Council (August). Therein, many issues were attended by Osborn such as the supplies of the new settlers; the remuneration of the construction workers of the royal projects; and the regulation of the local trade, which was functioning then on Sundays despite the biblical precepts. Attending to so many local matters brought Osborn esteem from the settlers. Back in England, in December, he discussed the issues of Halifax with the official functionaries of trade and plantation.
In May 1753, the Board of Trade recommended that Danvers Osborn should be the next Royal Governor of the Province of New York. In July, his appointment was approved. After his arrival on 6 October, Osborn was welcomed officially by the mayor and the assemblymen of New York, and formally assumed his office on 10 October. His personal secretary was the Englishman Thomas Pownall.
Death
On 12 October 1753, Osborn's dead body was found in the garden of the house in which he was lodged, which belonged to a local councilman. The body presented evidences of
Initially, Osborn was buried at the
See also
- Chicksands
- Bedfordshire
- George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax
- Jacobite risings
- Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Province of New York
- James DeLancey
- Danvers, Massachusetts a town named after his honor.
Sources
- Colonial Governors of NY
- Sir Danvers Osborn
- Fergusson, Charles Bruce (1974). "Osborn, Sir Danvers". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. III (1741–1770) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
- Chicksands. A Millennium Of History
- The Baronetage of the Osborns of Chicksands[usurped].