Sir John Shelley, 4th Baronet

Sir John Shelley, 4th Baronet (5 March 1692 – 6 September 1771), was a British politician associated with the Whig party. He held a seat in the House of Commons during two periods, from 1727 to 1741 and briefly in 1743–1747.

Born at Mitchelgrove in Sussex, he was the eldest son of Sir John Shelley, 3rd Baronet, and his second wife, Mary Gage. Mary Gage was the daughter of Sir John Gage, 4th Baronet, of Firle, Sussex. Shelley inherited the baronetcy on 25 April 1703 following his father's death.

Initially a Roman Catholic, Shelley conformed to Anglicanism in 1716. On 21 May 1717, he married Catherine Scawen, daughter of Sir Thomas Scawen of Horton, Buckinghamshire. Catherine died in September 1726. Subsequently, on 16 March 1727, Shelley married Margaret Pelham, daughter of Thomas Pelham, 1st Baron Pelham MP of Laughton. Margaret Pelham was the sister of Thomas Pelham-Holles, who later became the 1st Duke of Newcastle.

Shelley was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Arundel in the 1727 general election. Throughout his parliamentary career, he consistently supported the government. He was re-elected unopposed for Arundel in the 1734 general election but lost his seat in 1741. Following this defeat, his brother-in-law, the Duke of Newcastle, facilitated his return to Parliament as MP for Lewes in a by-election held on 6 December 1743. Despite his position, Shelley’s wife sought an official post for him from her brother, but no appointment was made. Questions regarding his private life are noted, and he was not re-elected in the 1747 general election, leading to his departure from Parliament.

Shelley passed away on 6 September 1771. He had three children by his second wife, Margaret Pelham, including a son and two daughters, and two daughters from his first marriage to Catherine Scawen. His son, John Shelley, succeeded him in the baronetcy. One of his daughters from the second marriage, Henrietta, married George Onslow, 1st Earl of Onslow.