Henry Conway

Henry Conway.

Henry Seymour Conway (1721 - 1795) was a British soldier and politician. He was born in 1721 to Francis Seymour-Conway, an Anglo-Irish nobleman. After graduating from Eton College, he became a lieutenant in the Royal Dragoons of Ireland. Conway served in the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War, rising to the rank of major general. Conway also entered the House of Commons in 1741.

In the early years of the American Crisis, Conway opposed attempts by the government of Prime Minister George Grenville to levy direct taxes on the American colonies. After the fall of the Grenville government in July 1765, Conway became a member of Lord Rockingham's government, serving as Secretary of State for the Southern Department, the Cabinet official responsible for the American colonies. Conway supported repeal of the Stamp Act, but he also crafted the Declaratory Act, which affirmed the right of Parliament to legislate for the colonies "in all cases whatsover," while admitting the inexpediency of attempting to enforce the Stamp Act.

Conway remained in the government after Lord Rockingham was replaced as Prime Minister by William Pitt the Elder. Conway opposed the Townshend Acts, and resigned from the government in 1768, resuming his military duties. He died on 9 July 1795.