George Bethune (politician)

George Bethune (c1635-), the last name pronounced and sometimes written as Beaton, was a Scottish soldier, businessman, and politician from Fife whose public career was curtailed by his Jacobitism.

Origins

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The son of John Bethune, 12th of Balfour, and his wife Catherine Haliburton, he was a younger brother of James Bethune (1620-1690), 13th of Balfour, and the uncle of David Bethune (1648-1708), 14th of Balfour.[1]

Career

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In the Scots Army he served as a Lieutenant in The Blues under Colonel Sir William Lockhart of Lee and then went into business in the burgh of Kilrenny, where he was admitted as a burgess. In the Parliament of Scotland convened in 1689, he was elected for the constituency of Kilrenny,[2] but was unseated on 25 April 1693 after failing to take the oath of loyalty to King William II and Queen Mary II.[3] The date of his death has not been traced. Kilrenny was later represented by his great-nephew, James Bethune (1671-1719), 15th of Balfour.

Family

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No record of marriage or children has been found.

References

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  1. ^ James Toshach Clark, ed. (1900). Genealogical Collections Concerning Families In Scotland Made By Walter Macfarlane 1750-1751 Edited From The Original Manuscripts In The Advocates’ Library. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: T. & A. Constable for The Scottish History Society. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  2. ^ K.M. Brown (ed.). The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707 1689/3/2. St Andrews. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  3. ^ K.M. Brown (ed.). The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707 1693/4/4. St Andrews. Retrieved 12 March 2022.