William Gordon, Lord Strathnaver facts for kids
William Gordon (born 19 December 1683 – died 13 July 1720) was a Scottish politician. He was known as Lord Strathnaver from 1703. His family name changed to Sutherland in 1719. This happened when his father was recognized as the leader of Clan Sutherland.
Contents
William Gordon was the oldest son of John Gordon, 16th Earl of Sutherland. His mother was Helen Cochrane. In 1702, he joined the army and became a Colonel of Foot.
In 1705, he married Katharine Morison. Her father was William Morison, who was also a Member of Parliament. After his marriage, William's father gave him control of the family's land and political interests in Sutherland.
Serving in Parliament
In 1708, Lord Strathnaver was elected as the first Member of Parliament for Tain Burghs. However, his election was challenged. Before the Act of Union 1707, the oldest sons of Scottish nobles could not be elected to the Parliament of Scotland. But there was no such rule for the Parliament of England.
After the Union, people wondered if the oldest sons of Scottish nobles could be elected to the new Parliament of Great Britain. The House of Commons discussed this issue. They voted on whether these sons could be elected to represent areas in Scotland.
On 3 December 1708, the House of Commons decided that Lord Strathnaver was not allowed to be an MP. This meant he had to leave his seat in Parliament. At that time, the House of Commons itself decided who could be a member.
Later Years and Public Service
In October 1708, Lord Strathnaver went to Flanders with his army regiment. He wanted to be promoted, but it did not happen. In 1710, he decided to sell his command in the army.
He continued to support the Whig political party. He helped Whig candidates get elected in 1710 and 1713. By 1711, he was appointed as an admiral and bailie depute for Sutherland. He also became Chamberlain of Ross in 1715.
During the Jacobite rising of 1715, he led a group of Sutherland clansmen. They fought against the Jacobite rebellion. For his efforts, his father helped him get a pension of £500 a year. This pension was approved in 1717. In 1718, he became the sheriff of Inverness. He also helped organize defenses against another Jacobite threat in 1719.
Death and Family Legacy
Lord Strathnaver became ill in 1719 and passed away on 13 July 1720. He died before his father. He had eight sons, and four of them survived him. His oldest son died a few months after him. His second son, William, later became the Earl of Sutherland. His wife lived until 1765.
