Richard Howe , 1st Earl Howe Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe , 1st Earl Howe , KG ( 8 March 1726 – 5 August 1799 ) was a British naval officer , notable in particular for his service during the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars . He was the brother of William and George Howe . Howe joined the navy at the age of thirteen and served throughout the War of the Austrian Succession . During the Seven Years War he gained a reputation for his role in amphibious operations against the French coast as part of Britain ' s policy of naval descents . He took part in the decisive British naval victory at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759 . He is best known for his service during the American War of Independence , when he acted as a naval commander and a peace commissioner with the American rebels , and for his command of the British fleet during the Glorious First of June in 1794 . Early career . Howe was born in London , the second son of Emanuel Scrope Howe , 2nd Viscount Howe , who died as governor of Barbados in March 1735 , and of Charlotte , a daughter of Baroness von Kielmansegg , afterwards Countess of Darlington , the half - sister of King George I which does much to explain his early rise in the navy . Richard Howe entered the navy in the " Severn " , one of the squadron sent into the south seas with George Anson in 1740 . The " Severn " failed to round Cape Horn and returned home . Howe next served in the West Indies aboard " Burford " and was present when she was severely damaged in the unsuccessful attack on La Guaira on 18 February 1743 . He was made acting - lieutenant in the West Indies in the same year , and the rank was confirmed in 1744 . During the Jacobite Rising of 1745 , he commanded the sloop " Baltimore " in the North Sea , and was severely wounded in the head while cooperating with a frigate in an engagement with two French privateers . In 1746 , he became post - captain , and commanded " Triton " in the West Indies . As captain of " Cornwall " , the flagship of Sir Charles Knowles , he was in the battle with the Spaniards off Havana on 2 October 1748 . Between the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years ' War , Howe held commands at home and on the west coast of Africa . Seven Years War . In 1755 , he went with Edward Boscawen to North America as captain of " Dunkirk " , and his capture of the French " Alcide " was the first shot fired in the war . From then until the peace of 1763 , he served in the Channel in various more or less futile expeditions against the French coast , gaining a reputation as a firm and skillful officer for his role in the series of naval descents on the French coast including the Raid on Rochefort , Raid on St Malo , Battle of Saint Cast and the Raid on Cherbourg . He was particularly noted for his conduct at Rochefort , where he had taken the Ile d ' Aix , and was described by George Rodney as performing his duties " with such cool and steady resolution , as has most justly gained him the universal applause of army and navy " . On 20 November 1759 , he led Hawke ' s fleet as captain of " Magnanime " in the Battle of Quiberon Bay where the British won a decsisive victory , forestalling a Planned French Invasion of Britain . After the death of his elder brother , killed near Ticonderoga on 6 July 1758 , he became Viscount Howe in the Peerage of Ireland . In 1762 , he was elected M . P . for Dartmouth , and held the seat until he was elevated to the House of Lords as Earl Howe in the Peerage of Great Britain . During 1763 and 1765 , he was a member of the Admiralty board . From 1765 to 1770 , he was treasurer of the navy . At the end of his tenure , Howe was promoted to Rear admiral , and made Commander - in - Chief , Mediterranean Fleet . He was promoted again , in 1775 , to Vice admiral . In February 1776 he was appointed to the command of the North American Station . American War of Independence . At the beginning of the American War of Independence , Howe was known to be sympathetic to the colonists . He had known Benjamin Franklin , who was a friend of his sister , a popular lady in London society . Howe had written to Franklin in a peacemaking effort . Because of his known sentiments , he was selected to command in America . He was joined in a commission with his brother , General Sir William Howe , head of the land forces , to attempt a reconciliation . A committee appointed by the Second Continental Congress conferred with Howe in September 1776 , but nothing came of it . Blockade . Howe was ordered to institute a naval blockade of the American coastline , but this proved to be ineffectual . Howe claimed to have too few ships to successfully accomplish this , particularly as a number had to be detached to support operations by the British army . As a result large amounts of covert French supplies and munitions were smuggled to America . It has been suggested that Howe ' s limited blockade at this point was driven by his sympathy with and desire for conciliation with the Americans . By 1778 the blockade was more promising , with many merchant ships being taken . Howe still complained to London that while his ships were able to successfully guard the southern colonies , the blockade of the northern colonies was still ineffective . His requests for more ships were rejected as the Admiralty wanted to keep much of the fleet at home to protect against a Franco - Spanish invasion of the British Isles , should they enter the war . New York and Philadelphia . The strategy of the British in North America was a combination of operations aimed at capturing major cities and a blockade of the coast . In 1776 the British captured New York City with combined operations between the army and the navy . In 1777 Admiral Howe provided support to his brother ' s operation to capture Philadelphia , ferrying Howe ' s army to a landing point from which they successfully marched and took the city . Howe spent much of the remainder of the year concentrating on capturing the forts that controlled entry to the Delaware River without which ships could not reach Philadelphia . News of the capture of a separate British army under John Burgoyne threw British plans into disarray . Howe spent the winter in Newport , Rhode Island . Resignation . The appointment of a new peace commission in 1778 offended the admiral deeply , and he resigned his command . His resignation was reluctantly accepted by Lord Sandwich , then First Sea Lord , but before it could take effect France declared war , and a powerful French squadron was sent to America under the Comte d ' Estaing . Greatly outnumbered and forced to take a defensive stance , Howe nevertheless baffled the French admiral at Sandy Hook , and defeated d ' Estaing ' s attempt to take Newport , Rhode Island by a fine combination of caution and calculated daring . On Admiral John Byron ' s arrival from England with reinforcements , Howe left his station in September 1778 . Declining to serve afterwards , he cited distrust of Lord North and a lack of support during his command in America . He was further embittered by the replacement of himself and his brother as peace commissioners , as well as by attacks in the press against him by ministerial writers including the prominent American Loyalist Joseph Galloway . An enquiry in Parliament demanded by the Howe brothers to justify their conduct in America was held during 1779 but ended inconclusively . Howe spent much of the next three years with the opposition attacking the government ' s alleged mismanagement of the war at sea . The only exception was his support of a motion of thanks to Admiral Rodney for his decisive victory against the Spanish during the Moonlight Battle . As Howe had joined the opposition in Parliament to North ' s government , it was clear that until it was replaced he would be unable to secure a fresh naval command . Despite the setback at Saratoga , and the entry of France , Spain and the Dutch Republic into the war North ' s government continued to gain strength until October 1781 when a British army under Lord Cornwallis was forced to surrender to a combined Franco - American force at Yorktown . Although the government was able to continue for several more months its effective power had been sapped . In March 1782 the House of Commons passed a motion ending offensive actions against the American rebels , although the war around the rest of the globe continued with the same intensity . North ' s government then fell to be replaced by a weak coalition of Whigs led by the Marquess of Rockingham . 1782 . Not until the fall of Lord North ' s government in March 1782 did Howe once again accept a command - this time the Channel Fleet . Despite the suspension of hostilities in America , the war in Europe continued with the same force and the Royal Navy was severely stretched in having to deal with the French , Spanish and Dutch fleets . Howe received instructions from Augustus Keppel , the new First Lord of the Admiralty to proceed to Portsmouth and take command of the Channel Fleet which he did on 20 April . Howe ' s task was complex . He had to protect inbound trade convoys from the Americas , keep track of the Franco - Spanish fleet , while also keeping an eye on the Dutch fleet at port in the Texel but reportedly ready to sail . He also had to keep in mind the need to attempt a relief of Gibraltar which had been under siege for several years and would be forced to surrender if it wasn ' t resupplied soon . Howe had to accomplish these tasks with significantly fewer ships than his combined opponents . Keppel observed the Royal Navy ' s best hope was to quickly shift their limited forces from one area of danger to another . In May Howe took a number of ships to the Dutch coast to scout out Dutch preparations . If the Dutch made a sortie into the North Sea they would be able to threaten Britain ' s vital Baltic convoys , including precious naval stores which were needed for continuing the war . This in turn might lead the Dutch to launch attacks on the East coast of England . As the Dutch fleet appeared unlikely to immediately put to sea , Howe returned to Britain leaving a squadron of nine ships to keep a watch on the Texel . The French and Spanish fleets had sailed from Brest and Cadiz and combined in the Western Approaches , where they managed to capture some merchant ships . Howe put to sea to try and monitor them , and received information that a major trade convoy was incoming from the West Indies . Howe had only 25 ships - of - the - line against 36 enemy ships under Admiral Córdoba and was separated by them from the convoy he was ordered to protect . He sent a message for the convoy to put into safety in ports in Ireland . Howe then took his fleet through a dangerous route , around the north side of the Isles of Scilly . This allowed him to get between the inbound convoy and the Franco - Spanish fleet as well as allowing him to gain the weather gauge which would be a major advantage in any battle . The next morning the Franco - Spanish fleet had disappeared . After waiting a while Howe decided to go in pursuit of them , later receiving news that the West Indian convoy had safely reached harbour in the English Channel . The Franco - Spanish fleet had been blown southwards by a strong gale , and then received orders in early August to return home . The British had feared that Córdoba ' s combined fleet would be joined by the Dutch fleet to give the Allies overwhelming superiority in the English Channel . However the Dutch were almost completely inactive and chose not to put to sea . Howe was then able to focus on the last major task of 1782 , the relief of Gibraltar . Relief of Gibraltar . That autumn , he carried out the relief of Gibraltar — a difficult operation , 46 French and Spanish ships - of - the - line against only 33 of his own . The exhausted state of the fleet made it impossible for Howe to fit his ships properly or supply them with good crews , and Howe ' s progress to Gibraltar was hampered by the need to escort a large convoy carrying stores . Still , Howe handled his makeshift fleet brilliantly and took advantage of an awkward and unenterprising enemy . Howe successfully relieved Gibraltar and fought an indecisive action at the Battle of Cape Spartel after which he was able to bring his fleet safely back to Britain , bringing an effective end to the year ' s campaign . Negotiations between the various war participants had been taking place through 1782 and they were able to reach a settlement . The Peace of Paris brought an end to the conflict . First Lord of the Admiralty . From 1783 until 1788 , he served as First Lord of the Admiralty during the Younger Pitt ' s first ministry . The task was often difficult , for he had to agree to extreme budgetary constraints and disappoint the hopes of many officers who were left unemployed by the peace . Nonetheless , during his time in office a number of new ships were built as part of a naval arms race with France and Spain . During his time at the Admiralty , Howe oversaw a number of innovations to signalling . Howe felt constantly undermined by Charles Middleton , the Comptroller of the Navy . Pitt often completely bypassed Howe on naval decisions and went directly to Middleton . By 1788 Howe grew tired of this and he resigned his post as First Lord despite efforts to persuade him to stay . To show their goodwill and approval of him , the government awarded Howe an Earldom . Spanish Armament . In 1790 a dispute by Britain and Spain over the Nootka Sound on the $ 3 of North America threatened to spark a war between the two states . Lord Howe , as one of the most senior and experienced officers still serving , was offered command of the Channel Fleet which he accepted . Howe was appointed to the position in May 1790 and took up his post in Portsmouth in July 1790 . Consisting of 35 ships - of - the - line the Channel Fleet put to sea and cruised for around a month to the west of Ushant before returning to port . The Crisis was then settled peacefully by diplomats and Howe was able to return to his retirement on land . During a similar crisis with Russia in 1791 known as the Russian Armament Howe was not offered any command most likely because he was suffering from . French Revolutionary War . Glorious First of June . On the outbreak of the War of the First Coalition against France in 1793 , he was again given command of the Channel fleet . The following year would be the greatest of his career , including the victory of the " Glorious First of June " . Although now nearly seventy years old , Howe displayed a tactical originality uncommon in such a veteran . Howe ' s active service ended after the campaign , but he continued to hold nominal command of the Channel Fleet by the king ' s decree . In 1797 , he was called on to pacify Spithead mutineers , and his powerful influence upon the sailors who revered him was conspicuously shown . ( It also helped that in his talks with the mutineers , Howe saw the justice in their demands , and negotiated a settlement that satisfied most of them . ) Later career and legacy . In 1782 , he was created Viscount Howe of Langar , and , in 1788 , Baron and Earl Howe . In June 1797 , he was made a Knight of the Order of the Garter . Howe was buried in his family vault at St . Andrew ' s Church , Langar , in Nottinghamshire . His monument by John Flaxman is in St Paul ' s Cathedral . Four British warships have borne the name HMS " Howe " in his honour . Places named after Howe include : He also lends his name to a boarding house at The Royal Hospital School . Chapter IV of , by A . T . Mahan was titled " Howe : The General Officer , as Tactician " . Family . Lord Howe was married on 10 March 1758 to Mary Hartop , the daughter of Colonel Chiverton Hartop of Welby in Leicestershire , and had three daughters . His Irish title descended to his brother , General William Howe , who died childless in 1814 . The earldom and the viscountcy of the United Kingdom , being limited to male heirs , became extinct . The barony passed to his daughter , Sophia Charlotte ( 1762 – 1835 ) , who married the Hon . Penn Assheton Curzon . Their son , Richard Curzon - Howe , succeeded his paternal grandfather as Viscount Curzon in 1820 and was created Earl Howe in 1821 ; he was succeeded by his son , George ( 1821 – 1876 ) . Genealogy . Richard Howe is an ancestor of Diana , Princess of Wales , and thus of Prince William , Duke of Cambridge , Prince George of Cambridge and Prince Harry of Wales , who are second , third and fourth in line of succession to the British throne . Richard Howe was brother to General George Augustus Howe , 3rd Viscount , and Sir William Howe , 5th Viscount Howe . " The Family of Hoge " quotes " The Encyclopædia Britannica " as having this to say about the Howes : " The friendliness of the brothers , Admiral Richard Howe and General William Howe , to the colonies led to their selection for the command of the British forces in the Revolutionary War . It was thought that they could negotiate a settlement with the American forces . "