Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet

Who was Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet?

Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet was an Anglo-Irish preacher, soldier, statesman and diplomat, after whom Downing Street in London is named. As Treasury Secretary he is credited with instituting major reforms in public finance. His influence was substantial on the passage and substance of the mercantilist Navigation Acts. The Acts strengthened English commercial and Naval power, contributing to the security of the English state and its ability to project its power abroad. More than any other man he was responsible for arranging the acquisition of New York from the Dutch, and is remembered there in the name of Downing Street, in Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York.