John Jervis, Earl St. Vincent (1735-1823)

Successful British admiral during the French Revolutionary Wars. By the time war broke out in 1793, he had been in the Fleet for 45 years. He started the war as commander in chief in the West Indies, where he captured the important islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. In 1796 he was transferred to the Mediterranean command. Here he had his greatest victory (helped by Nelson), inflicting a heavy defeat on the Spanish fleet at the battle of Cape St. Vincent (February 1797).

In 1801 he was made First Lord of the Admiralty by Addington, briefly Prime Minister while Pitt the Younger was out of office. When Pitt returned to power in 1804, St. Vincent retired from the Government, although he returned to sea as commander of the Channel fleet from 1806-7.

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How to cite this article: Rickard, J (12 November 2005) Jervis, John, Earl St. Vincent (1735-1823), articles/people_jervis.html

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