Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham
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Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham PC (October 24, 1675–September 14, 1749) was a British soldier and politician.
Temple was born to a Whig family in the family estate of Stowe, located in Buckinghamshire. After attending Eton College and Cambridge University, Temple entered the military. However, at the age of 21, he inherited his father's baronetcy. By the age of 26, he was a lieutenant colonel, and he became a lieutenant general at 34, which was an extremely young age. He had especially distinguished himself, like many other famous officers, during the Duke of Marlborough's campaigns in the War of the Spanish Succession, especially during the Siege at Lille. He married heiress Anne Halsey, whose rich ancestry allowed him to extensively work on the estate of Stowe, while buying off two cousins to keep them from inheriting the estate. When King George I ascended to the throne, he awarded Temple various peerages, first Baron Cobham in 1714, then Viscount and Baron Cobham (with special remainder) in 1718.
Temple's socioeconomic position moved high with the receipt of these styles and monies. In 1711, he made drastic changes to the estate of Stowe. As he made extensive renovations to the estate, he called upon the royal gardener, Charles Bridgeman, and his friend, John Vanbrugh, a skilled architect. When Vanbrugh died in 1726, though, he was replaced by another skilled architect, James Gibbs. Meanwhile, Cobham had become the Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire. However, when he began disagreeing with Prime Minister Robert Walpole, he moved to the opposition party, probably causing his replacement by the Duke of Marlborough. Nevertheless, he was eventually given the rank of field marshal, specifically on March 28, 1742.
Cobham was admired by Alexander Pope, and Cobham's gardens were praised by Pope in his Epistle to Burlington as a wonder. Pope wrote a "moral epistle" to Cobham in 1733 and published it in 1734 as The Epistle to Cobham. By 1734, Cobham had gone from government to opposition and had formed a faction in the Whig Party to oppose the Excise Bill of Robert Walpole. Pope praises Cobham as a practical man of the world whose "ruling passion" was service to his country, whatever the cost.
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| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Sir Richard Temple, 3rd Bt. Alexander Denton |
Member for Buckingham with Alexander Denton 1697–1698, Sir Edmund Denton 1698–1702 1697–1702 |
Succeeded by: Sir Edmund Denton Roger Price |
| Preceded by: The Viscount Newhaven Goodwin Egerton |
Member for Buckinghamshire with The Viscount Newhaven 1704–1705, Robert Dormer 1705–1706, William Egerton 1706–1708 1704–1708 |
Succeeded by: Sir Edmund Denton, 1st Bt. Richard Hampden |
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by: Sir Edmund Denton Roger Price |
Member for Buckingham with Sir Edmund Denton 1705 |
Succeeded by: Sir Edmund Denton Browne Willis |
| Preceded by: Sir Edmund Denton Browne Willis |
Member for Buckingham with Alexander Denton 1708–1710, Thomas Chapman 1710–1713 1708–1713 |
Succeeded by: Thomas Chapman John Radcliffe |
| Honorary Titles | ||
| Preceded by: The Duke of Bridgwater |
Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire 1728–1738 |
Succeeded by: The Duke of Marlborough |
| Titles of Nobility | ||
| Preceded by: New Creation |
Viscount Cobham 1718–1749 |
Succeeded by: Hester Temple |
| Preceded by: New Creation |
Baron Cobham 1714–1749 |
|
| Preceded by: Richard Temple |
Baronet (of Stow) 1697–1749 |
Succeeded by: William Temple |
Categories: 1675 births | 1749 deaths | Viscounts in the Peerage of Great Britain | Baronets in the Baronetage of England | British Field Marshals | People of Buckinghamshire | Lords Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire | Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament | Members of the United Kingdom Parliament from English constituencies | Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
