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Howe, Richard Howe, 1st Earl 1726-99
English admiral

Born in London, the brother of William, 5th Viscount Howe, he joined the navy at 13, and distinguished himself in the Seven Years War (1756-63). He became a Lord of the Admiralty (1763), Treasurer of the Navy (1765), First Lord of the Admiralty (1783), and earl (1788). In 1776 he was appointed commander of the British fleet during the American Revolution and, in 1778, defended the North American coast against a superior French force. On the outbreak of war with France (1793), he took command of the Channel fleet, defeating the French off Ushant at the Battle of the Glorious First of June (1794).