John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll
|
|
John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll and 1st Duke of Greenwich (October 10, 1678 - October 4, 1743) was a Scottish soldier and nobleman. His titles were extremely high in the precedence of the Scottish peerage.
Born in Petersham, Surrey, Campbell succeeded his father, the 1st Duke of Argyll, as Duke of Argyll and Chief of Clan Campbell in 1703. In 1705, for his support of the Act of Union, he was created Baron Chatham and Earl of Greenwich. He fought during the War of the Spanish Succession under the British Army's overall commander, the Duke of Marlborough, and he fought at the battles of Oudenarde and Malplaquet.
In 1710 he was made a Knight of the Garter. With the rising power of the Tory ministry of Lord Oxford and Lord Bolingbroke, Argyll fell out of favor, joining the Whig opposition in making speeches against the government in the House of Lords. In July 1714, in Queen Anne's last illness, the unexpected presence of Argyll and the Duke of Somerset at the Privy Council secured the fall of Oxford, and thus perhaps the Hanoverian succession. In "the Fifteen", Argyll led the government army at Sheriffmuir and defeated the Jacobites led by the Earl of Mar. In 1719 he was rewarded by being given the Dukedom of Greenwich. He was promoted to Field Marshal in 1736. A year before his death, he was given the position of Commander in Chief of the British Army.
He received the colonelcy of various regiments, including the Horse Guards (now part of the Household Cavalry Regiment) and The Queen's Dragoon Guards (now part of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards).
| Preceded by: The Duke of Kent | Lord Steward 1718–1725 | Succeeded by: The Duke of Dorset | ||||||
| Preceded by: The Earl Cadogan | Master-General of the Ordnance 1725–1740 | Succeeded by: The Duke of Montagu | ||||||
| Preceded by: The Duke of Montagu | Master-General of the Ordnance 1742 | Succeeded by: The Duke of Montagu
|