HUNTER, John (?1724-1802), of Gubbins, nr. Potters Bar, Herts.

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790-1820, ed. R. Thorne, 1986
Available from Boydell and Brewer

Constituency

Dates

1784 - June 1797

Family and Education

b. ?1724. m. Anne, a wid. (d. 10 Feb. 1786), 1da.

Offices Held

Dir. E.I. Co. 1781-d., dep. chairman 1794-5.

Sheriff, Herts, 1780-1.

Biography

Hunter retained his seat for Leominster after a contest in 1790 and remained an unobtrusive supporter of Pitt’s administration. In 1791 he was listed as an opponent of the repeal of the Test Act in Scotland. His only known contribution to debate was in defence of the resolutions of the East Indian committee, 7 Mar. 1793. He survived another contest in 1796 at the expense of over £2,000 (5 guineas a vote), but retired a year later. He died 16 Dec. 1802, aged 78, leaving much of his nabob’s fortune of over £100,000 personalty to his granddaughter, whose husband Thomas Holmes took the name of Hunter and sold the Hertfordshire estate.

Gent. Mag. (1803), i. 88; Cussans, Herts. Dacorum, 288; The Times, 12 Feb. 1803.

Ref Volumes: 1790-1820

Author: J. W. Anderson

Notes