William Cosby
| William Cosby | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 24th colonial governor of Province of New York | |
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In office August 1732 – March 1736 |
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| Monarch | George II |
| Preceded by | Rip Van Dam |
| Succeeded by | George Clarke |
| 6º Royal governor of New Jersey | |
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In office August 1732 – March 1736 |
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| Monarch | George II |
| Preceded by | Lewis Morris, President of Council |
| Succeeded by | John Anderson President of Council |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1690 Stradbally Hall, Queen's County, Ireland |
| Died | 10 March 1736 New York City |
| Spouse(s) | Grace Montagu |
| Children | William, Grace, Elizabeth, Grace, Henry |
| Profession | Army Colonel, Governor |
Brigadier-General William Cosby (1690–1736) was an Irish soldier who served as the British royal governor of New York from 1732 to 1736.
During his short term as governor, Cosby was portrayed as one of the most oppressive royal placeholders in British Colonial America. In 1735, Cosby accused publisher John Peter Zenger of sedition and libel for publishing unflattering reports about Cosby. In spite of Cosby's efforts, Zenger was acquitted of all charges and the case helped to establish the concept of freedom of the press.
William Cosby was born in Stradbally Hall, Queen's County, Ireland, in 1690. His father, Alexander Cosby of Stradbally, stemmed from a British family that settled in Ireland in 1590, by the first Alexander Cosby. His mother, Elizabeth L'Estrange, was from another family of the Protestant Ascendancy.
In 1709, 19-year-old William Cosby travelled to Italy and earned money by gambling in card games. The next year he enlisted in the British Army at Spain, under General Stanhope's command. In successive years, his military career progressed: cornet of the 5th Dragoon Guards (24 August 1705), captain of the 2nd Dragoon Guards, Harvey's Regiment of Horse (15 April 1711) and colonel of the Royal Regiment of Ireland (24 December 1717 to 1732).
In 1711, Cosby married Grace Montagu, a British lady with connections at Buckingham Palace, as sister of George Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax. They had children: William (1713), Grace (1716), Elizabeth (1721), Grace (1723) and Henry (1719). All of them were born in Britain, mostly at Westminster, London. Both sons followed careers in the military afterward. A third son, Alexander, born 1717, is not recorded as a son of William in contemporary documents, but was a son of Grace.
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