John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland KG PC (21 October 1696 – 29 May 1779) was a British politician who was the eldest son of John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland and Catherine Russell. Styled Marquess of Granby from 1711, he succeeded to the title in 1721, cutting short a brief career in the House of Commons, where he had represented Rutland as a Whig.
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Biography
He held a variety of government and court positions including Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire 1721–1779, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1727–1736, Lord Steward of the Household 1755–1761, and Master of the Horse 1761–1766.
He represented Rutland in the British Parliament from January 1719 to February 1721. He was one of the directors of the Royal Academy of Music, establishing a London opera company which commissioned numerous works from Handel, Bononcini and others.
In 1722 he became a Knight of the Order of the Garter and in 1727 was sworn of the Privy Council. He supported the creation of London's Foundling Hospital and was one of its founding governors when it received its royal charter in 1739. The city of Rutland, Vermont is named after him.
During the Jacobite rising of 1745, Lord Manners raised a Regiment of Foot, in which his son John, Marquess of Granby was appointed colonel.