Baptist Leveson-Gower

Baptist Leveson-Gower (c. 1703–1782) was a British Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons for 34 years from 1727 to 1761.

Leveson-Gower was the fourth son of John Leveson Gower, 1st Baron Gower, MP, and his wife Lady Catherine Manners, daughter of John Manners, 1st Duke of Rutland.[1] He entered Westminster School in May 1717, aged 13 and was admitted at St. John’s College, Cambridge on 22 April 1720, aged 16.[2]

At the 1727 British general election Leveson-Gower was returned as a Tory Member of Parliament at both Amersham and Newcastle-Under-Lyme, and chose to sit for Newcastle-under-Lyme on his family’s interest. He voted consistently against the Government. He was returned for Newcastle-under-Lyme in a contest at the 1734 British general election and unopposed at the 1741 British general election. In December 1744 his brother, Lord Gower, joined the Administration, and he was appointed a Lord of Trade in 1745. He was returned again in 1747 and resigned his office in June 1749. He became a member of the Duke of Bedford’s circle and in 1751 he split from Lord Gower and went into opposition with Bedford.[1]

Leveson-Gower was returned at the 1754 British general election and was classed as a member of the Bedford group, then in opposition. He did not stand in 1761.[3]

Leveson-Gower died unmarried on 4 August 1782. He was the brother of Hon. Thomas and William Leveson-Gower.