Edward Ellice (merchant)

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For other persons named Edward Ellice, see Edward Ellice (disambiguation).

Edward Ellice, the elder, (27 September 1783 – 17 September 1863), was a British merchant and politician.

He was educated at Winchester and at Marischal College, Aberdeen. He engaged in the Canada fur trade from 1803, and amalgamated the North-west, "X.Y.", and Hudson's Bay companies in 1821. The Ellice Islands, formerly part of the colony of Gilbert and Ellice Islands and now the independent nation of Tuvalu, were named after him.

He was Member of Parliament for Coventry from 1818, 1820, 1830, and 1831-63, and served as a Secretary to the Treasury, and whip in Lord Grey's government, 1830-2. He was Secretary at War from 1832-4, during which time he proposed that appointments in the army should be made directly from his office. He helped to found the Reform Club in 1836 and supported Palmerston as premier. He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1833

He was awarded a DCL by St Andrews University. He privately urged French government to send troops into Spain in 1836. He was deputy-governor of the Hudson's Bay Company.

His only son was Edward Ellice the younger, who also sat in Parliament.