The Earl of Clarendon | |
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1st Governor of New Jersey in British North America | |
In office 1701–1708 | |
Monarch | Anne |
Lieutenant | Col. Richard Ingoldesby Lieutenant-Governor |
Preceded by | Office created |
Succeeded by | John, 4th Baron Lovelace |
14th colonial Governor of New York | |
In office 1702–1708 | |
Monarch | Anne |
Preceded by | John Nanfan |
Succeeded by | John, 4th Baron Lovelace |
Personal details | |
Born | The Hon. Edward Hyde 28 November 1661 England |
Died | 31 March 1723 Chelsea, London, England | (aged 61)
Resting place | Westminster Abbey |
Political party | Tory |
Spouse(s) | Katherine O'Brien, 8th Baroness Clifton |
Children | Edward Bligh, 9th Baron Clifton, Catherine, Mary Flora, and Theodosia, 10th Baroness Clifton |
Parent(s) | Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon Theodosia Capell |
Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
Profession | Diplomat and governor in British North America |
Signature | ![]() |
Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon (28 November 1661 – 31 March 1723), styled Viscount Cornbury between 1674 and 1709, was an English aristocrat and politician. Better known by his noble title Lord Cornbury, he was propelled into the forefront of English politics when he and part of his army defected from the Catholic King James II to support the newly arrived Protestant contender, William III of Orange. These actions were part of the beginning of the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Cornbury's choice to support his cousin Anne instead of William after the rebellion cost him his military commission. However, Cornbury's support of King William's reign eventually earned him the governorship of the provinces of New York and New Jersey; he served between 1701 and 1708.
As a High Tory governor, his primary mission was to protect the colonies during the War of the Spanish Succession (known in the Americas as Queen Anne's War, or the 2nd French and Indian War; 1701–1714). His administration successfully prevented French incursions into the middle colonies. However, he became mired in the region's many factional conflicts and accrued powerful political enemies such as Lewis Morris, who would go on to become Governor of New Jersey in 1738.
By 1708, war-weariness led to a shift in the political tide in Great Britain. Governor Cornbury was recalled from the colonies but was soon after installed as a member of Queen Anne's privy council. Lord Cornbury's fortunes changed again when George I was crowned King of Great Britain on 1 August 1714. Out of favour, Lord Cornbury died in Chelsea, London on 31 March 1723.
Lord Cornbury's conduct as governor has been generally remembered as scandalous. He was accused by his political enemies of being a cross-dresser, a moral profligate, and wildly corrupt. Few contemporary accounts exist of his conduct; and modern writers disagree as to whether or not Cornbury was actually a cross-dresser, or if Cornbury was possibly transgender.[1]