William Johnstone Hope Vice Admiral Sir William Johnstone Hope , GCB ( 16 August 1766 – 2 May 1831 ) was a prominent and controversial British Royal Navy officer and politician in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Britain , whose career experienced fleet actions , disputes with royalty , party politics and entry to both Russian and British orders of chivalry . A popular officer , Hope served with Nelson , Duncan and Lord Keith through several campaigns , making connections which enabled him to secure a lengthy political career after his retirement from the Royal Navy in 1804 due to ill - health . After 26 years in Parliament , Hope was largely inactive and instead served as a Lord of the Admiralty and commissioner of Greenwich Naval Hospital . Hope died in 1832 after 55 years of naval and political service and was buried in the family plot in Scotland . Early life . William Johnstone Hope was born the third son of John Hope and his wife Mary Breton . The Hopes were descendants of the first Earl of Hopetoun and maintained strong political links with the family ; his brothers were also prominent figures , Charles Hope later became Lord Granton and Sir John Hope served as a brigadier under Wellington in the Peninsular War . Hope was educated at Edinburgh High School between 1774 and 1776 and the following year , aged 12 , he entered the Royal Navy as a midshipman in HMS " Weazel " , a sloop commanded by his uncle Captain Charles Hope . As his uncle ' s protégé , William traveled with his relative thorough various commands , serving during the American Revolutionary War off the Home , Lisbon and Newfoundland Stations . In 1782 he was promoted to lieutenant and left his uncle , taking a position on the frigate HMS " Daedalus " in Newfoundland . At the conclusion of the war , Hope returned home on " Daedalus " and remained on her until 1785 when his uncle returned him to his own ship , now the guardship HMS " Sampson " at Plymouth . In 1786 , Hope ' s career suffered a blow when he was stationed aboard the frigate HMS " Pegasus " , commanded by Prince William Henry . Hope and Prince William fell out badly and in less than a year Hope had been transferred to the frigate HMS " Boreas " , at that time commanded by Captain Horatio Nelson , with whom Hope had good relations . Two years later , Hope was transferred to HMS " Adamant " at the request of Sir Richard Hughes . When Hughes reached flag rank in 1790 whilst stationed in Newfoundland , he promoted Hope to commander and gave him command of " Adamant " . French Revolutionary War . Hope continued in command of small ships for several years , pausing in 1792 to marry his distant cousin , Lady Anne Hope Johnstone . The couple would have two daughters and four sons before Anne ' s death in 1818 . In 1794 , Hope was in command of HMS " Incendiary " , a fireship of the Channel Fleet attached to Lord Howe ' s force sent to engage the French . In March , Hope was given his step to post captain , taking command of the ship of the line HMS " Bellerophon " , the flagship of Admiral Thomas Pasley . Hope was still in command of the " Bellerophon " three months later when he was heavily engaged in the van of Howe ' s fleet at the Glorious First of June , when an equally sized French fleet was defeated 200 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean . At the start of 1795 , Hope joined HMS " Tremendous " , but within two months was requested onboard HMS " Venerable " by Admiral Duncan . However , while visiting aboard a Russian ship in 1796 , Hope suffered a serious accidental head injury that left him an invalid for two years , consequently missing Duncan ' s victory at the Battle of Camperdown . Returning from his long convalescence , Hope was again requested by Duncan and commanded his flagship HMS " Kent " for the next three years . In 1799 , the " Kent " was Duncan ' s flagship in supporting the Anglo - Russian invasion of the Batavian Republic , with Hope being present at the surrender of the Dutch fleet in Texel to the Royal Navy . Sent to Britain with the dispatches proclaiming the surrender , Hope was lauded by both the British and Russian courts , King George III presenting him with £500 and Tsar Paul I making him a Commander of the Order of St John . In 1801 in the Mediterranean , under the command of Admiral Lord Keith , " Kent " carried Sir Ralph Abercromby and his headquarters for the invasion of Egypt , a successful campaign which forced the surrender of the French occupying force . Hope was not present for the conclusion of the action , returning to Britain with Admiral Duncan after Sir Richard Bickerton raised his flag on " Kent " . He was awarded the Order of the Crescent by Emperor Selim III for this service . In 1800 , Hope began his second career , gaining the seat of Dumfries Burghs in the House of Commons through family influence . During his time as MP , Hope rarely visited his constituency and equally rarely appeared in parliament . He lost the constituency to his brother in 1802 , but in 1804 was elected to the seat of Dumfriesshire , again through family connections . He retained this post until his retirement from public life in 1830 . Retirement . In 1804 , at the end of the Peace of Amiens , Hope briefly took command of HMS " Atlas " , but it soon became clear that his health was failing and he could no longer maintain an active naval career . Retiring from the navy on half - pay , Hope was an invalid from 1804 until 1807 , when a return to health permitted him to take a post as a Lord of the Admiralty . Hope changed positions several times in this role , but he held onto the position for twenty years as a political favourite , a status maintained by being almost totally politically inactive . In 1812 , Hope was advanced to rear - admiral and in January 1815 he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath ( KCB ) on the reorganisation of the order , and was invested later in the year . From 1813 , Hope served as commander - in - chief at Leith until 1818 and in 1819 he was again promoted , this time to vice - admiral . In 1820 he was recalled to the Admiralty and remained there for seven years without participating in any of the important decisions and innovations of the period . He remarried in 1821 to Maria , Countess of Athlone and in 1825 was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath ( GCB ) . In 1827 , in the chaotic aftermath of the collapse of Lord Liverpool ' s government , Hope was retired in favour of Sir George Cockburn and given the favourable role of treasurer and later commissioner of the Royal Naval Hospital in Greenwich . Despite his conflicts with Prince William 45 years earlier , when King William IV ascended the throne in 1830 , he made Hope a privy councillor , before Hope entered retirement later in the year . Hope died in May 1831 , a few months after giving up his seat in Parliament . Although he died in Bath , his remains were returned to the family crypt at Johnstone Church , Johnstone , Dumfriesshire .