Career
Stanwix joined the Army and had become a captain-lieutenant in Hasting"s Foot Regiment by 1692. He was appointed Lieutenant-Governor for Carlisle in 1705 and found that his main challenge was stopping the smuggling across the border between England and Scotland. In 1703, during the War of the Spanish Succession, he was present at the Battle of Caia in Portugal.
In 1711 he became Governor of Gibraltar.
Observers felt that he should have concentrated on encouraging the Dutch to leave so that the benefits of the Capture of Gibraltar (in 1704) could be directed entirely in Britain"s direction. Stanwick was tenacious as even when he was replaced by David Colyear he stayed on as lieutenant-governor for some months.
In 1713 in returned to England and became Mayor of Carlisle for 1715 as well as Deputy Lieutenant of Cumberland, thereby increasing his influence in the Carlisle area. He was a Whig Member of Parliament who strongly supported Robert Walpole.
He lost his seat in Carlisle and, in 1721, instead became Member of Parliament for Newport as well as Governor of Kingston-upon-Hull (1721 to his death).
In 1722 he became Member of Parliament for Yarmouth. He was also Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea from 1714 until 1720. He died in 1725.