Sir Archibald Macdonald, 1st Baronet

Sir Archibald Macdonald, 1st Baronet (13 July 1747 – 18 May 1826) was a Scottish lawyer, judge and politician.

Archibald Macdonald, 1795 portrait by George Romney

Early life

He was the posthumous son of Sir Alexander Macdonald, 7th Baronet, and younger brother of the 8th baronet (see Baron Macdonald), born at Armadale Castle on Skye. He was brought to England, away from Jacobite influence and entered Westminster School in 1760. He went on to Christ Church, Oxford in 1764, graduating B.A. in 1768 and M.A. in 1772. He was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1770.[1]

In politics

Macdonald was Member of Parliament for Hindon in Wiltshire (1777–1780) and then for Newcastle-under-Lyme (1780–1792), a seat where his father-in-law had a strong influence.[1]

In politics, Macdonald followed the Whig lead of his father-in-law. He became solicitor-general in 1784 and attorney-general, and was knighted, in 1788. He served as the prosecutor in Thomas Paine's criminal libel trial over the publication of Rights of Man in 1792.[1]

Judge

Macdonald was appointed as second judge of the Carmarthen circuit in Wales in 1780. He was promoted as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer in 1793, and served in this post until he retired in 1813, with failing eyesight.[1] On his retirement from the court, Macdonald was created a baronet, on 27 November 1813.[2]

Family

Macdonald's wife Louisa, Lady MacDonald, by Angelica Kauffman, 1767

In 1777, Macdonald married Lady Louisa Leveson-Gower, daughter of Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford (at the time called by the courtesy title Earl Gower), then Lord President of the Council. They had two sons and five daughters.[1][2]

Three children of the marriage survived Macdonald, including Sir James Macdonald, 2nd Baronet (1784–1832).[1] Susan (1780–1803) was the illustrator of "The Sports of the Genii" (1804) by Anne Hunter.[3] Caroline Diana (1790–1867) married the cleric Thomas Randolph, son of John Randolph, and was mother of the naval officer George Granville Randolph.[1][4][5][6][7]

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gollark: ++jar

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References

Smith, George Ford (8 June 2010). "Thomas Paine, Liberty's Hated Torchbearer". Mises Institute. Retrieved 24 November 2014.

Notes

Lemmings, David. "Macdonald, Sir Archibald, first baronet (1747–1826)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/17429. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
"Macdonald, Sir Archibald (1747–1826), of East Sheen, Surr., History of Parliament Online". Retrieved 11 September 2018.
Lee, Sidney, ed. (1893). "Macdonald, Archibald (1747-1826)" . Dictionary of National Biography. 35. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
s:Alumni Oxonienses: the Members of the University of Oxford, 1715-1886/Randolph, Thomas (3)
Lambert, Andrew. "Randolph, Sir George Granville". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35670. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
Dod, Charles Roger; Dod, Robert Phipps (1904). Dod's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of Great Britain and Ireland, Including All the Titled Classes. p. 754.
The Gentleman's Magazine. E. Cave. 1813. p. 586.

Parliament of England
Preceded by Richard Smith Henry Dawkins	Member of Parliament for Hindon 1777–1780 With: Henry Dawkins	Succeeded by Lloyd Kenyon Nathaniel William Wraxall
Preceded by Viscount Chewton Viscount Trentham	Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme 1780–1793 With: Viscount Trentham 1779–1784 Richard Vernon 1784–1790 John Leveson-Gower 1790–1792 William Egerton 1792–1793	Succeeded by Sir Francis Ford William Egerton
Legal offices
Preceded by Sir James Eyre	Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer 1793–1813	Succeeded by Sir Vicary Gibbs
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Baronet (of East Sheen) 1813–1826	Succeeded by James Macdonald

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[ODNB-1] Lemmings, David. "Macdonald, Sir Archibald, first baronet (1747–1826)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/17429. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

[HoP-2] "Macdonald, Sir Archibald (1747–1826), of East Sheen, Surr., History of Parliament Online". Retrieved 11 September 2018.

[3] Lee, Sidney, ed. (1893). "Macdonald, Archibald (1747-1826)" . Dictionary of National Biography. 35. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

[4] s:Alumni Oxonienses: the Members of the University of Oxford, 1715-1886/Randolph, Thomas (3)

[5] Lambert, Andrew. "Randolph, Sir George Granville". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35670. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

[6] Dod, Charles Roger; Dod, Robert Phipps (1904). Dod's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of Great Britain and Ireland, Including All the Titled Classes. p. 754.

[7] The Gentleman's Magazine. E. Cave. 1813. p. 586.