John Byron
John Byron | |
|---|---|
1759 portrait of Byron by Joshua Reynolds | |
| Born | 8 November 1723 |
| Died | 10 April 1786 (aged 62) London, England |
| Buried | Church of St Mary the Virgin, Twickenham |
| Allegiance | Great Britain |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Service years | 1731–1786 |
| Rank | Vice-Admiral of the White |
| Commands | HMS Siren HMS Dolphin Leeward Islands Station |
| Conflicts | |
| Spouse |
Sophia Trevanion (m. 1748) |
| Children | 9 (incl. John) |
Vice-Admiral of the White John Byron (8 November 1723 – 1 April 1786) was a Royal Navy officer, explorer and colonial administrator. He earned the nickname "Foul-Weather Jack" in the British press due to his frequent encounters with bad weather at sea. As a midshipman, Byron sailed in a squadron under George Anson on his voyage around the world, though Byron's ship, HMS Wager, made it only to southern Chile, where it was wrecked. He returned to England with the captain of the ship.
Byron was appointed governor of Newfoundland following Hugh Palliser, who left in 1768. He circumnavigated the world as a commodore with his own squadron in 1764–1766. Byron fought in several battles of the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence, and rose to vice admiral before his death in 1786. His grandsons include the poet Lord Byron and the admiral and explorer George Byron, 7th Baron Byron. One of Byron's great-granddaughters was the mathematician and informatics pioneer Ada Lovelace.