John Hervey, Lord Hervey

John Augustus Hervey, known as Lord Hervey, was born on 1 January 1757 and died on 10 January 1796. He was a British diplomat and naval officer. Hervey was the eldest surviving son of Frederick Hervey, the 4th Earl of Bristol, and Elizabeth Davers. His family background included notable relatives; his paternal grandparents were John Hervey, the 2nd Baron Hervey, and Mary Lepell, daughter of Brigadier-General Nicholas Wedig Lepell. His maternal grandparents were Sir Jermyn Davers, the 4th Baronet, and Margaretta Green, daughter of Reverend Edward Green, Rector of Drinkstone.

Hervey had two brothers and three sisters. Among his siblings was Frederick, who later became the 1st Marquess of Bristol. His sisters were Mary Creighton, Countess Erne; Elizabeth Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire; and Louisa Jenkinson, Countess of Liverpool.

He joined the Royal Navy with the support of his uncle, Commodore Augustus Hervey, the 3rd Earl of Bristol. During his naval career, he achieved the rank of captain. Notably, he served as the senior naval officer on the St. Lawrence River in Quebec at one point. From 1787 to 1794, Hervey served as the British Minister to Tuscany. After completing his diplomatic appointment, he returned to naval service, commanding the ship Zealous with the Mediterranean fleet during the winter of 1795.

Hervey married Elizabeth Drummond on 4 October 1779 in Quebec, Canada. Elizabeth was born in 1758 and died in 1818. She was the eldest daughter of Katherine Oliphant and Colin Drummond of Megginch Castle, Perthshire. Colin Drummond held positions as deputy Commissary-General and deputy Paymaster to the Forces in Canada. Elizabeth's grandfather was John Drummond, the 10th of Lennoch.

The marriage produced one child, a daughter named Honorable Elizabeth Catherine Caroline Hervey, born in 1780. She married Charles Ellis, who became the 1st Baron Seaford. Charles Ellis was the second son of John Ellis of Jamaica, a wealthy sugar planter involved in the slave trade. Elizabeth Catherine Caroline Hervey died in 1803.

John Hervey died on 10 January 1796. Upon his death, his courtesy title was assumed by his brother Frederick, who was later created the Marquess of Bristol. Elizabeth Drummond, Hervey's widow, died on 4 September 1818.