Sir Richard Sutton, 1st Baronet

Sutton was the younger son of the Right Honourable Sir Robert Sutton, KB, MP, politician and diplomat, and Judith Tichborne, previously the third wife and widow of Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland. She was the daughter of Sir Benjamin Tichborne of Beaulieu and niece of Henry Tichborne, 1st Baron Ferrard. He was a great-grandson of Henry Sutton, younger brother of Robert Sutton, 1st Baron Lexinton (which peerage became extinct in 1723). The Sutton baronets were thus distantly related^{[note 1]} to the dukes of Rutland, who were descended from the marriage of the 3rd Duke to the Honourable Bridget Sutton, heiress of Robert Sutton, 2nd Baron Lexinton.^[1][2]

Sutton was educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge, and trained as a lawyer, being admitted to the Middle Temple in 1754, then admitted to the Inner Temple and called to the bar in 1759. He was appointed Recorder of St Albans on 24 November 1763 by John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer.^{[note 2][3]}

In July 1766 Sutton was selected by William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, the Southern Secretary, to serve as an Under-Secretary of State in his department. He then served under William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford, the Northern Secretary, from October 1768 to December 1770, before following him back to the Southern department.^[3]

Sutton first entered parliament in 1768 as Member of Parliament for St Albans, again appointed by Lord Spencer.^[4] He spoke regularly on behalf of his department, but also on social and economic matters. Sutton also showed an occasional independent streak, by voting against the Government, most notably on the Royal Marriages Act. On 1 October 1772 Sutton resigned from his position in the Southern Department, having inherited the house and estate of Norwood Park,^[5] and an income of around £4,000 a year (equivalent to about £528,000 today), following the death of his older brother. Two weeks later, in recognition of his services, he was created a baronet, and also received a pension of £500 annually for life.^[3]

He remained an MP on the Government benches, being a staunch defender of their American policy, even donating £500 to help raise a volunteer company for service in the American War in 1779. Later that year Sutton was selected by the Prime Minister Lord North to be one of the Lords of the Treasury. Since Sutton's original sponsor Lord Spencer was now with the Opposition, in the 1780 election Sutton was selected for two seats; Sandwich^[6] and Aldborough.^[7] He chose to represent Sandwich, and after a by-election Edward Onslow sat for Aldborough.

He remained a supporter and defender of Lord North, even after he was forced out of office in March 1782. In the 1784 election, Sutton was selected by Henry Pelham-Clinton, 2nd Duke of Newcastle as one of the MPs for Boroughbridge,^[8] as a supporter of the government of Pitt.^[3] He was returned for the constituency in the 1790 election,^[9] but retired in 1796.

Sutton died in Bath, Somerset,^[5] on 10 January 1802.^[3] As his eldest son John had died in 1801, the baronetcy was inherited by his 4-year-old grandson Richard.^[2]