William Howe
War Hero
Commander-in-Chief of the British Army during the American Revolution who also served in the British Parliament.
He began his military career at the age of seventeen, serving first in the Duke of Cumberland's Dragoons and then in the War of the Austrian Succession.
He was a key player in the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill.
He was born into a distinguished family: he was the son of 2nd Viscount Emanuel Howe and Sophia von Kielmansegg (the known illegitimate daughter of King George I). In addition, his two older brothers, General George Howe and Admiral Richard Howe, were both high-ranking military officers.
He ordered the death by hanging of Nathan Hale, a spy for the Continental Army during the period of the New York Campaign.