Richard Hampden (died 1728)

1674 – 27 July 1728) of Great Hampden, near Wendover, Buckinghamshire was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons almost continuously from 1701 to 1728.

His father committed suicide, which was agreed to be a "sad cloud" over the son: friends urged him not to react by "sowing his wild oats".

In 1719 he was one of the original backers of the Royal Academy of Music, establishing a London opera company which commissioned numerous works from Handel and others.

[2] In 1720, he speculated in the stock of the South Sea Company using naval funds to make a personal profit.

When the South Sea Bubble burst, he made losses of £90,000, of which less than half was secured.