CAMPBELL, John, second Duke of Argyll, and also Duke of Greenwich and Baron of Chatham, son of the preceding, was born on the 10th of October 1680. On perceiving his military talents, his father in 1701 introduced him to King William, and procured his appointment to the command of a regiment. In this situation he remained till the death of his father in 1703, when, becoming Duke of Argyll, he was appointed a member of Queen Anne's privy-council, and at the same time captain of the Scotch horse guards, and one of the extraordinary lords of session. In 1704 he was installed one of the knights of the recently revived order of the Thistle, and soon afterwards appointed high commissioner to the Scotch parliament. In return for his services in promoting the Union, he was created a peer of England, by the titles of Baron of Chatham and Earl of Greenwich; and in 1710 was made a knight of the Garter. His grace first distinguished himself in a military capacity at the battle of Oude-narde, where he commanded as brigadier-general; and was afterwards present under the Duke of Marlborough at the sieges of Lisle, Ghent, Bruges, and Tournay. He had also a considerable share in the victory obtained over the French at the battle of Malplaquet, by dislodging them from the wood of Sart, and gaining a post of great consequence. In this sharp engagement several musket-balls passed through the duke's clothes, hat, and peruke. Soon after the action he was sent to take the command in Spain; but being seized with a violent fever at Barcelona, and disappointed of supplies from home, he returned to England. Having a seat in the House of Lords, he censured the measures of the ministry with such freedom that all his places were disposed of to other noblemen; but at the accession of George I. he recovered his influence. On the breaking out of the rebellion in 1715 he was appointed commander-in-chief of the forces in North Britain, and was principally instrumental in effecting the total extinction of the rebellion in Scotland, without much bloodshed. He arrived in London early in March 1716, and at first stood high in the favour of the king; but in a few months was stripped of his offices. This disgrace, however, did not deter him from the discharge of his parliamentary duties; he supported the bill for the impeachment of Bishop Atterbury, and lent his aid to his countrymen by opposing the bill for punishing the city of Edinburgh for the Porteous riot. In the beginning of the year 1719 he was again admitted into favour, appointed lord-steward of the household, and in April following created Duke of Greenwich. He continued in the administration during the remaining part of that reign, and, after the accession of George II., till April 1740, when, on occasion of
Campbell, a violent speech against the government, he was again dismissed from office. On a change of the ministry, however, he was soon restored; but disapproving of the measures of the new administration, he finally resigned all his posts, and spent the rest of his life in privacy and retirement. He died of a paralytic disorder on the 4th of October 1743. A monument, executed by Roubillac, has been erected to his memory in Westminster Abbey. See BRITAIN.