John Clevland, MP was Secretary to the Admiralty 1751–1763 (First Secretary from 1759).

John Clevland was the son of Captain William Clevland, of Lanarkshire

Lanarkshire

Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...

 who rose to being the Controller of the Storekeepers' Accounts for the Navy Board (1718 - 1732). His mother, Ann Davie of Orleigh Court

Orleigh Court

Orleigh Court is a late medieval house in Buckland Brewer 4 miles to the south west of Bideford, Devon, England.It is a two storeyed building constructed from local slate stone...

, was the daughter of John Davie

John Davie

John Davie was a merchant based in Bideford, Devon, England.John Davie was the son of John Davie and Marie Sutton who married in 1638...

. John grew up on the Tapeley Park

Tapeley Park

Tapeley Park is a country house located near the village of Westleigh in Devon, England.William Clevland, who went on to become King of the Banana Islands grew up here....

 esatate on the River Torridge

River Torridge

The River Torridge is a river in Devon in England. It was the home of Tarka the Otter in Henry Williamson's book. The Torridge local government district is named after the river....

 in North Devon

North Devon

North Devon is the northern part of the English county of Devon. It is also the name of a local government district in Devon. Its council is based in Barnstaple. Other towns and villages in the North Devon District include Braunton, Fremington, Ilfracombe, Instow, South Molton, Lynton and Lynmouth...

. His brother, William Clevland

William Clevland (king)

William Clevland was an Anglo-Scot who became King of the Banana Islands.William Clevland was the son of Commodore William Clevland, a Scotsman who settled at Tapeley Park, near Bideford, Devon. His brother was John Clevland, Secretary of the Admiralty....

 became King of the Banana Islands

Banana Islands

The Banana Islands lie south west of the Freetown Peninsula in Sierra Leone. The two main islands, Dublin Island and Ricketts Island, are linked by a causeway. Dublin Island is known for its beaches while Ricketts Island is best known for its forests...

, Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...

.

His father used his position to advance his son, first as a Clerk (Storekeepers' Accounts) and then Chief Clerk (1726-1731) at the Navy Board. In 1731 Clevland was appointed clerk to the cheque and master muster at Plymouth

Plymouth

Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...

. He then became clerk of the acts in 1744 and joint secretary to the Lords commissioners of admiralty in 1748. Then in 1751 he succeeded Thomas Corbett as secretary.

Around 1750 he bought Bideford

Bideford

Bideford is a small port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is also the main town of the Torridge local government district.-History:...

 Manor.

Clevland was MP first for Saltash

Saltash (UK Parliament constituency)

Saltash, sometimes called Essa, was a "rotten borough" in Cornwall which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in the English and later British Parliament from 1552 to 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...

 (1741-1747), then Sandwich

Sandwich (UK Parliament constituency)

Sandwich was a parliamentary constituency in Kent, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1366 until 1885, when it was disfranchised for corruption.-History:...

 (1747-1754) and then Saltash again (1754-1761).

He had sons John Clevland MP for Barnstaple

Barnstaple

Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon, England, UK. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter. The old spelling Barnstable is now obsolete.It is the main town of the...

 and Director of Greenwich Hospital

Greenwich Hospital

Greenwich Hospital can refer to:*Greenwich Hospital , USA*Greenwich Hospital , UK...

 and Augustus Clevland, Collector

District collector

The District Collector is the district head of administration of the bureaucracy in a state of India. Though he/she is appointed and is under general supervision of the state government, he/she has to be a member of the elite IAS recruited by the Central Government...

 of Bhagalpur

Bhagalpur

Bhagdattpuram was one of the most influential towns in "Aryavarta" . It is supposed to have been concurrent to Patliputra or Patna. Bhagdattpuram finds its mention in the Vedas and Ramayana as well. It is supposed to be the kingdom of Daanvir Karna, the son of Kunti and the Sun God...

Sources