Edward Legge (Royal Navy officer) facts for kids

Edward Legge FRS (born 1710 – died September 19, 1747) was a brave officer in the Royal Navy. He became famous for something very unusual. He was chosen to be a Member of Parliament (MP) for Portsmouth on December 15, 1747. The surprising part? He had already passed away 87 days earlier in the West Indies!

Edward Legge's Naval Adventures

Joining the Royal Navy

Edward Legge was the fifth son of the Earl of Dartmouth. He joined the navy in 1726 when he was just 16 years old. His first ship was HMS Royal Oak. This ship was part of a fleet led by Sir Charles Wager. Their mission was to help Gibraltar.

After that, Edward served on several other ships. These included HMS Poole, HMS Kinsale, HMS Salisbury, and HMS Namur. He passed his important naval exam on July 4, 1732. He was promoted to lieutenant on HMS Deptford in 1734. Then, he became a captain on July 26, 1738.

Sailing to the Pacific

In 1739, Captain Legge was given command of HMS Pearl. This ship was getting ready for a long journey to the Pacific Ocean. It was part of a group of ships led by Commodore George Anson. Later, Edward moved to HMS Severn, another ship in Anson's group. After many delays, they finally set sail from St. Helens in September 1740.

A Tricky Voyage Around Cape Horn

The journey was very difficult. On April 10, 1741, a huge storm hit south of Cape Horn. This storm separated the Severn and the Pearl from the rest of Anson's ships. The storm raged for 40 days without stopping.

Lost at Sea?

During the storm, the ships tried to sail west. When the weather finally improved, they sailed north. They thought they had reached the Pacific Ocean. But they were wrong! They were still in the Atlantic. The strong winds and currents had pushed them back. On June 1, they found themselves near Cape Frio in Brazil. This shows how hard it was to know your exact location back then.

On June 30, they finally reached Rio Janeiro. The ships were in bad shape. Many sailors had gotten sick and died. After getting new crew members, Captain Legge returned to England. He arrived in April 1742.

Commander in the West Indies

In 1745, Edward Legge commanded HMS Strafford in the West Indies. In 1746, he commanded HMS Windsor in England. During this time, he was part of important naval trials for Admirals Richard Lestock and Thomas Mathews.

In 1747, the 4th Duke of Bedford, who was in charge of the navy, sent Legge back to the West Indies. He was made the top commander there. His job was to replace the previous commander, Commodore Fitzroy Henry Lee, and put him on trial. However, Lee was sent home before a trial could happen. Sadly, Edward Legge died shortly after, on September 19, 1747.

Elected After His Death!

Why Was He Chosen?

After the general election in 1747, there was an empty spot for an MP in Portsmouth. One of the elected MPs, Thomas Gore, chose to represent a different area. Portsmouth was controlled by the Admiralty, which was like the navy's government department. The Duke of Bedford thought of nominating Edward Legge for the position.

Edward's family was well-known. His brother, George, had been an MP before he died. Another brother, Henry, was also an MP. Henry wrote to the Duke on August 4, 1747. He said that the Legge family would do anything to help the Duke. He also said he saw no problem with Edward being a candidate for Portsmouth.

A Surprising Discovery

Edward was chosen as the MP without anyone running against him. He was a supporter of the government at the time. But just four days later, the Legge family received terrible news. They learned that Edward had died three months earlier!

Not the Only One

Edward Legge was not the only person to be elected to Parliament after they had died. However, he holds the record for being elected the longest time after his death. It was a truly unique event in British political history!