Samuel Hood (1724-1816) was an eminent British naval commander. He was the son of Samuel Hood, vicar of Butleigh in Somerset, and Mary Hoskins. He was inspired to join the navy in 1740 by Captain (later Admiral) Thomas Smith (illegitimate son of Thomas, 2nd Baron Lyttelton), who was stranded in Butleigh when his carriage broke down on the way to Plymouth and the Rev Samuel Hood rescued him and gave him hospitality for the night. He saw service in the Seven Years War, the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars, and became Admiral and First Sea Lord, and 1st Viscount Hood. On retiring from the navy, he was elected one of the two MPs for Westminster from 1784-1788, losing in 1788 to Lord John Townshend but regaining the seat two years later.