Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto

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Earl of Minto
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Earl of Minto

Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmond, 1st Earl of Minto (born Edinburgh, Scotland, 23 April 1751 - died Stevenage, England, June 21, 1814) was a Scottish politician and diplomat.

His uncle was John Elliott, Governor of Newfoundland.

About 1763 Gilbert Elliot and his brother Hugh were sent to Paris, where their studies were supervised by the renowned Scottish philosopher David Hume, and where they became intimate with Honoré Mirabeau. Having passed the winters of 1766 and 1767 at the University of Edinburgh, Gilbert entered Christ Church, Oxford, and on quitting the university he was called to the bar. In 1776 he entered parliament as an independent Whig MP for Morpeth. He became very friendly with Edmund Burke, whom he helped in the attack on Warren Hastings and Sir Elijah Impey, and on two occasions was an unsuccessful candidate for the office of Speaker.

In 1794 Elliot was appointed to govern Corsica, and in 1797 he assumed the additional names of Murray-Kynynmond and was created Baron Minto. From 1799 to 1801 he was envoy-extraordinary to Vienna, and having been for a few months president of the board of control he was appointed governor-general of India at the end of 1806. He governed with great success until 1813, during which he expanded the British presence in the area to the Moluccas, Java, and other Dutch posessions in the East Indies during the Napoleonic Wars. He was then created Viscount Melgund and Earl of Minto. He died at Stevenage on 21 June 1814 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. His sister was the wife of William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland.

The Earl's second son was Admiral Sir George Elliot (1784-1863), who as a youth was present at the Battle of Cape St Vincent and the Battle of the Nile, and who was Secretary to the Admiralty from 1830 to 1834. A nephew of the Earl was Sir Charles Elliot (1801-1875), also an admiral, who took a prominent part in the war with China in 1840. Afterwards he was governor of Bermuda, of Trinidad and of St Helena.

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by:
Peter Delme
William Byron
Member of Parliament for Morpeth
2-seat constituency
(with Peter Delme)

1776–1777
Succeeded by:
Peter Delme
John Egerton
Preceded by:
Sir Gilbert Elliot
Member of Parliament for Roxburghshire
1777–1784
Succeeded by:
Sir George Douglas
Preceded by:
John Vaughan
John Delaval
Member of Parliament for Berwick
2-seat constituency
(with John Vaughan)

1786–1790
Succeeded by:
John Vaughan
Charles Carpenter
Preceded by:
Roger Wilbraham
James Bland Burges
Member of Parliament for Helston
2-seat constituency
(with Stephen Lushington)

1790–1795
Succeeded by:
Stephen Lushington
Charles Abbot
Political offices
Preceded by:
Sir George Hilario Barlow
Governor-General of India
1807–1813
Succeeded by:
The Earl of Moira
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by:
(new creation)
Earl of Minto
1813–1814
Succeeded by:
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound

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