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George Montagu (18th century politician)

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George Montagu (1713–1780) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons. He is known for his correspondence with Horace Walpole.[1][2]

He was a lover of Horace Walpole[3] and according to the Walpole scholar Wilmarth Sheldon Lewis (1895–1979), Walpole's letters to Montagu are ".. of more general interest than are those written to any other correspondent ...".[2][4]

George Montagu was the eldest son of Brigadier Edward Montagu. George became a friend of Horace Walpole when they attended Eton and their friendship lasted until about 1770. According to Walpole, their friendship ended partly because of political differences and partly because of Montagu's caprice.[1]

Montagu was Ranger of Selwyn Forest. He was Usher of the Black Rod in Ireland from 1761 to 1763 during the Viceroyalty of his cousin, the 2nd Earl of Halifax. George Montagu was also Private Secretary to Lord North, when the latter was Chancellor of the Exchequer.[1]

Montagu was elected Member of Parliament for Northampton from 1744 to 1754 for the Whigs.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Toynbee, Helen Wrigley (Mrs. Paget Toynbee), ed. (1903). The Letters of Horace Walpole, Fourth Earl of Orford. Vol. I: 1732–1743. Oxford at the Clarendon Press. p. 35.
  2. ^ a b Haggerty, George E. (2011). Horace Walpole's Letters: Masculinity and Friendship in the Eighteenth Century. Bucknell University Press. p. 35. ISBN 9781611480115.
  3. ^ Haggerty, George E. (2021). "Queer Feelings: Love and Loss in the Letters of Horace Walpole". Humanities. 10 (4): 108. doi:10.3390/h10040108.
  4. ^ http://www.elisarolle.com/queerplaces/fghij/George%20Montagu.html