John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich

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John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich (3 November, 1718 – 3 April, 1792) succeeded his grandfather, Edward, the 3rd Earl, in the earldom in 1729.

Educated at Eton and at Trinity College, Cambridge, he spent some time in travelling, and on his return to England in 1739 he took his seat in the House of Lords as a follower of the Duke of Bedford. He was soon appointed one of the commissioners of the Admiralty under Bedford and a colonel in the army.

In 1746 he was sent as plenipotentiary to the congress at Breda, and he continued to take part in the negotiations for peace until the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle was concluded in 1748. In February 1748 he became First Lord of the Admiralty, retaining this post until he was dismissed by the king in June 1751. In August 1753 Sandwich became one of the principal secretaries of state, and while filling this office he took a leading part in the prosecution of John Wilkes. He had been associated with Wilkes in the Hellfire Club, and his attitude now in turning against the former companion of his pleasures made him very unpopular, and, from a line in the Beggar's Opera, he was known henceforward as Jeremy Twitcher.

He was Postmaster General in 1768, secretary of state in 1770, and again First Lord of the Admiralty from 1771 to 1782. For corruption and incapacity, Sandwich's administration is unique in the history of the Royal Navy. Offices were bought, stores were stolen and, worst of all, ships, unseaworthy and inadequately equipped, were sent to fight the battles of their country. The first lord became very unpopular in this connection also, and his retirement in March 1782 was hailed with joy. Because he administered the Royal Navy so incompetently, he may, ironically, be regarded as a major contributor to American Independence. While Sandwich misruled the King's Navy, it was not Britannia who ruled the waves, but John Paul Jones. Sandwich married Dorothy, daughter of Charles, 1st Viscount Fane, by whom he had a son John (1743 – 1814), who became the 5th Earl. He had also several children by the singer Martha Ray, of whom Basil Montagu (1770 – 1851), writer, jurist and philanthropist, was one. The murder of Miss Ray by a rejected suitor in April 1779 increased the earl's unpopularity, which was already great, and the stigmas of the prosecution of Wilkes and the corrupt administration of the navy clung to him to the last.

He is also credited with the invention of the sandwich, the name obviously derived from his title. It was long said that he invented the food to sustain himself while gambling without having to eat a full meal; he would never leave his seat at his gambling table and, when compelled to eat, asked his servants to bring him a piece of meat between two slices of bread. His biographer Rodger, however, points out that the sole source of this rumour was gossip mentioned in a travel book by Grosley, and that at the period in question (1765) the Earl was known to be very busy, and it is just as likely that this was for the purpose of eating at his desk. Sandwiches were likely eaten long before the Earl's life - for example, according to Jewish tradition, sanwiches made of unleavened bread and bitter herbs are eaten on Passover.

Captain James Cook named the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii) after him.

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Chronology

1718 The 4th Earl of Sandwich is born on November 3, 1718
1729 Succeeds his grandfather, Edward the 3rd Earl, in the earldom
1729 Gets the first-class education at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge
1746 Sent as plenipotentiary to the congress at Breda, and continues to take part in the negotiations for peace until the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle is signed in 1748
1748 Becomes First Lord of the Admiralty
1751 Dismissed by the King from this post
1753 Becomes one of the principal secretaries of state
1768 Appointed Postmaster General
1770 Becomes Secretary of State
1771-1782 Becomes First Lord of the Admiralty again
1782 Retires in March
1792 Dies on April 30

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