Sir George Seymour | |
|---|---|
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:George_Francis_Seymour.jpg) Sir George Francis Seymour | |
| Born | 17 September 1787 Berkeley, Gloucestershire |
| Died | 20 January 1870 (aged 82) Eaton Square, London |
| Buried | Holy Trinity Church, Arrow, Warwickshire |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1797–1868 |
| Rank | Admiral of the Fleet |
| Commands | Portsmouth Command (1856–1859) North America and West Indies Station (1851–1853) Pacific Station (1844–1847) HMS Briton HMS Leonidas HMS Fortunée HMS Manilla HMS Pallas HMS Aurore HMS Kingfisher HMS Northumberland |
| Battles / wars | French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars War of 1812 |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order |
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Francis Seymour, GCB, GCH, PC (17 September 1787 – 20 January 1870) was a Royal Navy officer. After serving as a junior officer during the French Revolutionary Wars, Seymour commanded the third-rate HMS Northumberland under Admiral Sir John Duckworth at the Battle of San Domingo during the Napoleonic Wars. He also commanded the sloop HMS Kingfisher at the blockade of Rochefort and the fifth-rate HMS Pallas under Admiral Lord Gambier at the Battle of the Basque Roads. He then saw active service during the War of 1812.
Seymour became Third Naval Lord in the Second Peel ministry and went on to be Commander-in-Chief Pacific Station. In late 1844 the French Admiral Abel Aubert du Petit-Thouars entered into a confrontation with Queen Pōmare IV of Tahiti and with the English missionary and consul George Pritchard, expelling the consul and establishing a French protectorate over the territory during the Franco-Tahitian War. This matter became known as the "Pritchard Affair". Seymour handled this matter tactfully and avoided a confrontation with the French Government, which had already denounced Thouars' actions. Seymour later served as Commander-in-Chief North America and West Indies Station and then as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth.