Background
After inheriting property on his marriage to Elizabeth Hooker, granddaughter and heir of Sir William Hooker in 1753, he retired from the navy and eventually went into politics.
After inheriting property on his marriage to Elizabeth Hooker, granddaughter and heir of Sir William Hooker in 1753, he retired from the navy and eventually went into politics.
Coming from a naval family, Brett was at first a naval officer, and in 1755 was in charge of Portsmouth dockyard. He resigned that seat in 1776, being immediately returned instead as the government-sponsored Member of Parliament for Sandwich, a constituency with a strong naval connection, but from 1777 he voted consistently with the opposition, and in 1780 lost his seat when defeated by two government-backed candidates. After the fall of Lord North"s government in 1782, Brett was appointed a Lord of the Admiralty, and returned to the Commons as the Rockingham government"s candidate at Dartmouth (another constituency with strong links with the navy).
He was a Lord of the Admiralty from April 1782 to April 1783, leaving office on the fall of Shelburne"s administration, and once again under William Pitt the Younger from December 1783 until 1788.
13th Parliament of Great Britain. 14th Parliament of Great Britain. 15th Parliament of Great Britain.
16th Parliament of Great Britain.