Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke

Admiral of the Fleet The Right Honourable The Lord Hawke KB PC
First Lord of the Admiralty
In office 1766–1771
Prime Minister	Lord Chatham Duke of Grafton Lord North
Preceded by	Sir Charles Saunders
Succeeded by	Lord Sandwich
Personal details
Born	(1705-02-21)21 February 1705 London, England
Died	17 October 1781(1781-10-17) (aged 76) Sunbury-on-Thames, England
Resting place	St. Nicolas' Church, North Stoneham, Hampshire, England
Profession	Admiral, Statesman
Military service
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Branch/service	Royal Navy
Years of service	1720–1781
Rank	Admiral of the Fleet
Commands	HMS Wolf HMS Flamborough HMS Portland HMS Berwick HMS Neptune Western Squadron Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
Battles/wars	War of the Austrian Succession Battle of Toulon Battle of Cape Finisterre Seven Years' War Battle of Quiberon Bay

Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke, KB PC (21 February 1705 – 17 October 1781),^[1] of Scarthingwell Hall^[2] in the parish of Saxton with Scarthingwell, near Tadcaster, Yorkshire, was a Royal Navy officer. As captain of the third-rate HMS Berwick, he took part in the Battle of Toulon in February 1744 during the War of the Austrian Succession. He also captured six ships of a French squadron in the Bay of Biscay in the Second Battle of Cape Finisterre in October 1747.

Hawke went on to achieve a victory over a French fleet at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in November 1759 during the Seven Years' War, preventing a French invasion of Britain. He developed the concept of a Western Squadron, keeping an almost continuous blockade of the French coast throughout the war.

Hawke also sat in the House of Commons from 1747 to 1776 and served as First Lord of the Admiralty for five years between 1766 and 1771. In this post, he was successful in bringing the navy's spending under control and also oversaw the mobilisation of the navy during the Falklands Crisis in 1770.