James Craggs the Younger (9 April 1686 – 16 February 1721), son of James Craggs the Elder

James Craggs the Elder

James Craggs the Elder was an English politician and the father of James Craggs the Younger.A son of Anthony Craggs of Holbeck, Durham, he was baptized on 10 June 1657...

, was born at Westminster

Westminster

Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...

. Part of his early life was spent abroad, where he made the acquaintance of George Louis

George I of Great Britain

George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....

, Elector of Hanover, afterwards King George I. In 1713 he became member of parliament for Tregony

Tregony (UK Parliament constituency)

Tregony was a rotten borough in Cornwall which was represented in the Model Parliament of 1295, and returned two Members of Parliament to the English and later British Parliament continuously from 1562 to 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act....

, in 1717 Secretary at War

Secretary at War

The Secretary at War was a political position in the English and later British government, with some responsibility over the administration and organization of the Army, but not over military policy. The Secretary at War ran the War Office. It was occasionally a cabinet level position, although...

, and in the following year Secretary of State for the Southern Department

Secretary of State for the Southern Department

The Secretary of State for the Southern Department was a position in the cabinet of the government of Kingdom of Great Britain up to 1782.Before 1782, the responsibilities of the two British Secretaries of State were divided not based on the principles of modern ministerial divisions, but...

. Craggs was implicated in the South Sea Bubble, but not so deeply as his father, whom he predeceased, dying on 16 February 1721. Among Craggs's friends were Alexander Pope

Alexander Pope

Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...

 (who wrote the epitaph on his monument in Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey

The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...

), Joseph Addison

Joseph Addison

Joseph Addison was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was a man of letters, eldest son of Lancelot Addison...

, and John Gay

John Gay

John Gay was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for The Beggar's Opera , set to music by Johann Christoph Pepusch...

.

James Craggs left an illegitimate daughter Harriot Craggs by the noted dancer and actress Hester Santlow

Hester Santlow

Hester Santlow was a noted British dancer and actress, who has been termed "England's first ballerina." She was influential in many spheres of theatrical life.-Life:...

. Harriot married firstly in 1726 Richard Eliot, having 9 children including Edward Craggs-Eliot, 1st Baron Eliot

Edward Craggs-Eliot, 1st Baron Eliot

Edward Craggs-Eliot, 1st Baron Eliot was born to Richard Eliot and Harriot Craggs , the illegitimate daughter of the Privy Counsellor and Secretary of State, James Craggs and Hester Santlow, the noted...

 and secondly in 1749 to John Hamilton

John Hamilton (captain)

Captain John Hamilton was a British naval officer, the second son of James Hamilton, 7th Earl of Abercorn and Anne Plumer.-Biography:...

by whom she had a son.

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