George Augustus Selwyn (11 August 1719 – 25 January 1791) of Matson House in Gloucestershire, England, was a Member of Parliament. A renowned eccentric and "necrophiliac, gay transvestite, he sat mute, loved, and undisturbed in the House of Commons for 44 years". Origins He was the eldest surviving son of John Selwyn (1688–1751), MP, of Matson, by his wife Mary Farrington, a daughter of General Thomas Farrington. He was educated at Eton College and Hart Hall, Oxford (1739) and studied law at the Inner Temple (1737). Political career Selwyn spent 44 years in the House of Commons without having made a speech. As the patron of several rotten boroughs, including both seats at Ludgershall and one in Gloucester, he put his electoral interests at the disposal of the King's ministers, and received in return three lucrative sinecure offices and a pension, which offset his gambling debts. He himself served as one of the MPs for Ludgershall in 1747–1754 and for the constituency of Gloucester from 1754 to 1780. After he lost his patronage in Gloucester, Selwyn served again as a Member for Ludgershall from 1780 until his death in 1791. He served as Mayor of Gloucester twice, for 1758 and 1765. He was also elected for the Scottish constituency of Wigtown Burghs in 1768, when he thought he might be defeated at Gloucester, becoming the first Englishman to be elected to Parliament by a constituency in Scotland. He chose to retain the English seat. Personal life He was a homosexual and was attracted to various forms of sexual eccentricity, including necrophilia and tranvestitism. He was known for his fascination with the macabre, and was a keen observer of public executions. When attempting to visit the dying Henry Fox, the latter quipped "If Mr. Selwyn calls again, show him up; if I am alive I shall be glad to see him and if I am dead I am sure he will be delighted to see me". He was a member of the Hellfire Club and was a friend of Horace Walpole. Adopted daughter He adopted as his daughter Maria Emilia Fagnani, who married Francis Seymour-Conway, 3rd Marquess of Hertford. She was reputedly the illegitimate daughter of William Douglas, 4th Duke of Queensberry, by his mistress Costanza Brusati ("the Marchesa Fagnani"), the wife of Giacomo II Fagnani, IV marchese di Gerenzano (1740-1785), an Italian nobleman descended from the jurist Raffaele Fagnani (1552-1623),