Notes |
- See "History of The Commoner" by John Burke.
1792 JWC of Mr. Willis' school Portarlington aged 12 where he was head boy and Rev. Richmond Hood's school. Previously of Mr. Knowles' school in Cork.
JWC had a stutter which was helped by Mr. Knowles.
1796 Nov JWC of Trinity College, Dublin under Dr Lloyd. BA. Member of their Historical debating Soc. & won their 1st gold medal.
1800 Entered himself to Lincoln's Inn. Lived at Miss Robinson's Middle Scotland Yard, London.
Started 2 publications "Cabinet" & "Picnic" with Horace & James Smith, Mr.Herries and Col. Greville.
1802 JWC called to Baron the Munster Circuit & MP Dublin University
1806 Stood for MP for Doownpatrick. Defeated. Handled Revenue cases on Munster circuit. Elected MP 1807-1812, & for Athlone 1812-18.
, Bodmin 1820-26, Aldeburgh 1826-7, Dublin University 1827-30 & Aldeburgh again 1830-32.
1807 Entered House of Commons. Maiden speech on the state of Ireland.
1809 Gen. Arthur Wellesley (later Duke of Wellington) asked him to stand in for him while he was in Portugal. Offered job as Secretary for Ireland in Wellesley's absence.
Secretary of Admiralty
1828 JWC Privy Councillor
1832 JWC Leader of Opposition. First person to use the term Conservative
for Tories.
Quote by L J Jennings. ed "The Croker Papers" J W Croker was a strong Party man and a harsh controversialist but the picture of him as Rigby in Disraeli's Book "Conyngsby" is unfair.
Armiger, Coat of Arms argent a chevron engrailed gules between 3 ravens. Crest a drinking cup or, with 3 fleur de lis proper, on centre a rose. Arms granted by Edward 1V to Sir John Croker, cup and standard bearer 1475. Ancestors were Crokers of Ballynagarde and earlier of Crockerhele, Devon.
"it has always been admitted that the Board of Admiralty never had a more efficient, zealous and industrial Secretary"
1800 Resided Dublin but entered Lincoln's Inn with BA from Trinity College.
1806 Contested Downpatrick, defeated by small majority.
1807 May MP for Down Borough (Downpatrick?)
1809 LL.B & LL.D. Defended Duke of York in Parliament on charges of corruption which gained him the Duke's support for high office.
1810 Elected a Fellow of Royal Society
1812 Lost seat at Downpatrick but "found" a seat as MP for Athlone. Kept as Secretary of Admiralty after Percival was assassinated under Lord Liverpool. Defended British Naval competency in US wars in letters to "Courier"s igned "Nereus".
1819 MP for Yarmouth IoW
1820 MP for Bodmin Devon
1809-30 Secretary of Admiralty, politician & literateur. Favoured Catholic Emacipation, protege of Spencer Percival (assassinated when Prime Minister) &great friend of Robert Peel & Duke of Wellington.
1826 MP for Aldeburgh, Suffolk
1827 MP for Dublin University
1828 Privy Councillor
1830-32 MP for Aldeburgh again. Leader of Tory opposition.
Nov 1830 Resigned from Admiralty on fall of Wellington as PM.
Wrote for Quarterly Review. Strong Tory & Anglican stance.
First to use word Conservative instead of Tory.
Critical of many writers of the day including Keat's "Endymion" & McCauley loathed him " like a boiled lobster".
Severely caricatured by Disraeli as the character of Rigsby in Disraeli's book "Conisngsby"
Books, "An Intercepted Lettervfrom Canton" being a satire on Dublin. "Military Events of the French Revolutionof 1830", Essays on the Early Period of the French Revolution" 1857.
1842 Inherited £21,000 and cellar of wine from friend 3rd Marquis of Hertford
" in his official character as Secretary of the Admiralty we believe Mr. Croker to have been, from the extreme vigilence with which he guarded public interests, what is termed "unpopular with the service", that i, with individuals who naturally think their own cause that of the service."
1885 Quote " all which is best and most businesslike in the department was the legacy of Mr. Croker". JWC referred to himself as "servant of the Board" but Sir Joseph Yorkeformer Lord of the Admiralty stated "it was precisely the other way"
JWC had urged Parliament to buy the Elgin Marbles.
1841 JWC of Molesey Grove, East Molesey, Surrey.
1842 Lord Ashburton got JWC to buyland adjacent ot Bay House where he built Alverbank House.
1851 JWC of Molesey Grove. Visitor Henriette BOISLEVRE? aged 23 born Brest. 9 house servants & gardener with a family.
1857 JWC died at the the house of Sir William WIGHTMAN, at St Albans Bank, Hampton.( says Boase) At Molesey Grove ( says Knight). DNB says he was being put to bed by his servant Wade when he fell back & died. There is a portrait of him by Thomas Lawrence, his friend.
Robert Peel the godfather of his only son Spencer,.
Loved his father in law William Pennell the Consul & also was great friend of his cousin by marriage, Judge Ambrose Hardinge GIFFARD.
1846 A Thomas Crofton CROKER clerk 1st class at the Admiralty. PO Directory.
- Biography: http://www.historyhome.co.uk/people/croker.htm
- The Croker Papers 1884: Croker, John Wilson, 1780-1857; Jennings, Louis J. (Louis John), 1836-1893, ed.
http://archive.org/details/crokerpaperscorr001crok
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