Richard Boyle, 2nd Viscount Shannon, PC (1675 - December 20, 1740) was a British military officer and statesman.
Born in Westminster, Middlesex, Boyle inherited the title of Viscount Shannon from his paternal grandfather, Francis Boyle, 1st Viscount Shannon , in 1699. On July 7, 1702, he married Mary Sackville , who tragically died twelve years later, bearing no children. He entered the House of Commons in 1708 as MP for Arundel, then he served successively as MP for Hythe and East Grinstead . In January 1720, Boyle remarried, this time to Grace Senhouse , and they had one child, Grace Boyle . That same year, Boyle was constituted the Commander in Chief of the Irish military forces by King George II, and in 1721, he was appointed to the Privy Council. In 1739, he received a promotion to the rank of field marshal; however, he died a year after receiving it.
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Last updated: 05-13-2005 03:49:57
