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George was born on 23 April 1697, at Shugborough Manor.Anson was the son of William Anson of Shugborough in Staffordshire and Isabella Carrier, whose brother-in-law was the Earl of Macclesfield and Lord Chancellor, a relationship that proved very useful to the future admiral.
Anson entered the navy at the age of 15.
Anson entered the Royal Navy in 1712 and became a captain 11 years later. In September 1740 Commodore Anson set off across the Atlantic with six poorly manned, ill-equipped vessels to capture Spanish treasure ships in the Pacific. He lost three ships rounding Cape Horn but went on to raid Spanish mining settlements on the coast of Chile. Although he and his crew suffered incredible hardships while crossing the Pacific in their one remaining ship, the Centurion, Anson managed to capture a Spanish treasure galleon near the Philippines. He sold this prize for £400,000 in Canton, China, the Centurion being the first British warship to enter Chinese waters. By the time he reached England in June 1744, more than half the original crew of nearly 2,000 men had died, chiefly of scurvy.
Because of the support of the Duke of Newcastle, Anson was first lord of the Admiralty from 1751 to 1756. Although sacked by William Pitt, Anson returned as first lord from 1757 to 1762. His reforms included a reorganization of the fleet, a revision of the articles of war, and the creation of a permanent marine corps.
Anson went on to be First Lord of the Admiralty during the Seven Years' War. Among his reforms were the removal of corrupt defence contractors, improved medical care, submitting a revision of the Articles of War to Parliament to tighten discipline throughout the Navy, uniforms for commissioned officers, the transfer of the Marines from Army to Navy authority, and a system for rating ships according to their number of guns.
His careful reforms helped to ensure the naval triumphs of the Seven Years War.
Places named after him include Anson County, North Carolina and Anson, Maine.
Anson was married to Lady Elizabeth Yorke. They had no children.
1st Baron, Admiral of the Fleet
