DUNNING, JOHN, Lord Ashburton, the eon of an attorney at Ashburton iu Devonshire, was born on the ISth of October 1731. He was removed from the free.school at Ashburtou, and articled to his father as a clerk, in the thirteenth yesr of his age. Sir Thomas Clarke, the then master of the rolls, who employed old Mr. Dunning as his attorney, having observed the young man's capabilities for active business, induced him to study for the bar. He entered of the Middle Temple, May Sth 1752, and was called to the bar, according to the Temple books, July 2, 1756.
Dunning travelled the western circuit for some years without any success ; but in 1761, through the good offices of Mr. Hussey, a king's counsel, being appointed to draw up the reply of the East India Company to the Dutch memorial, he acquired some councctions, which were considerably increased by his argument in the case of Combo v. Pitt (Trio. Term, 1763), which he was called upon to make in consequence of the illness of his leader. In the course of the same year the question as to the legality of general warrants arose, in con sequence of the arrest of the publishers of the ' North Briton.' Dunning throughout the whole litigation was employed as the advocate of his friend Wilkes ; and the argument ou the Bill of Exesptions (June 1765) afforded him an opportunity of establishing his reputation. After this his business rapidly increased : he was shortly after chosen recorder of Bristol, and in December 1767, appointed solicitor-generaL In the following year he entered parliament as one of the nominees of Lord Shelburne for the borough of Caine. A Whig in his polities, and an accomplished constitutional lawyer, Dunning throughout his parliamentary career unflinchingly opposed the Tories. He laboured strenuously while in opposition to reduce the pension list, but became himself a pensioner to the amouut of 4000/. a year, when in the spring of 1782, ho was raised to the peerage by the title of Baron Ashburton, of Ashburton in the county of Devon. Possessing the most lucrative practice of the day, which had already enabled him to purchase con siderable landed property, and to save a BUM little short of 130,000/., and
having besides within a week after this promotion posseascd himself of a lucrative sinecure, the chancellorship of the duchy of Lancaster, Dunning had not even tho poor excuse of poverty for this political profligacy. This venality and want of principle, which so often unfortunately obscure the fair fame of individuals, aro not wholly without profit to the public ; they afford an example which acts as a warning to them against placing implicit confidence in the unbounded professions of ambitious and unprincipled men; for however popular, however distinguished may be the name of such a man in his own day, a few short years are sure to consign him to well merited neglect, if not contempt. Such, as a politician and a pretender to probity, has been the lot of Dunning. As a lawyer none of his con temporaries enjoyed a higher reputation, or more lucrative practice : his wit appears to have been of that brilliant nature which defies description. In person Dunning was small, and singularly weak and awkward ; his action in speaking clumsy and uncouth, but the awkwardness of his gesticulation was soon lost eight of in the interest 'aroused by his eloquence. Notwithstanding his disadvantages, ha was extremely vain of his personal appearance, and wished to encourage the belief that his face and figure had irresistible charms in the eyes of the fair sex.
Dunning married in 1780 Miss Elizabeth Baring, the daughter of a retail tradesman at Exeter, by whom he had two sons. The death of the eldest in April 1783, is supposed to have given so great a shock to the already enervated frame of Lord Ashburton us to have hastened his death, which took place at Exmouth in the August following.
The title of Baron Ashburton having become extinct, was revived iu the year 1835, in the person of Mr. Baring, a descendant of the Miss Elizabeth Baring mentioned above.