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Sir Charles Middleton (1726-1813)
Sir Charles Middleton was the first lord of the Admiralty (Admiral Lord Barham) at the time of Trafalgar. In 1735 he became a Christian and from that point onwards he served God first. He reformed the navy, driving out corruption and implementing proper systems. However Middleton could not get the support of the government to complete his anti-corruption work and he resigned from the navy in protest.
In April 1805, at the age of eighty five, he was appointed by Pitt to be the First Lord of the Admiralty. This was in the face of a French invasion of England. A seven month battle culminated in victory at the battle of Trafalgar. Middleton had saved England in her time of peril.
Sir Charles Middleton had brought standards of honesty and integrity to the government. He wrote 'Where there is no religion there can be no public principles'. He was influential in persuading William Wilberforce to start his campaign to abolish slavery.