| He entered the Royal Navy in 1731. He was appointed as a Lieutenant RN 1737. He was appointed as a Captain RN 1741. He spent the next three years on the eastern American coast. In 1744, Hardy was appointed Commodore-Governor of Newfoundland. After battling heavy winds at sea for 63 days, he was forced to return to England. He was court-martialed for neglect of duty but acquitted. In 1745, he brought reinforcements from Gibraltar to Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island. He later served off the coasts of Spain and Portugal. In 1755 was knighted and appointed Governor of New York. He was appointed as a Vice-Admiral RN 1762. He was Member of Parliament for Rochester from 1764 to 1768. He was appointed as a Admiral of the Blue RN in 1770. He was appointed as Governor of Greenwich Hospital in Plymouth in 1771. He was appointed as an Admiral of the Fleet RN in 1778. |
