General William Hervey (13 May 1732 – 15 January 1815)[1] was a British Army officer and, briefly, a politician.

He was the younger brother of Augustus John Hervey (later the 3rd Earl of Bristol), and he was educated at Westminster School and at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

[2] While in America, he was elected in absentia at a by-election in 1763 as a member of parliament (MP) for Bury St Edmunds.

[5] Hervey did not stand for parliament in 1768 although he did attempt to gain a seat in 1775 and 1780 in Bury St. Edmunds.

His mother reported that he was a man with few pretensions and he would be as pleased to walk and eat plainly with water as he was to travel by coach and consume fine meats and wine.