| The Right Honourable The Earl of Elgin KG GCSI GCIE PC |
|
|---|---|
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | |
| In office 10 December 1905 – 12 April 1908 |
|
| Monarch | Edward VII |
| Prime Minister | Henry Campbell-Bannerman |
| Preceded by | Alfred Lyttelton |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Crewe |
Viceroy and Governor-General of India |
|
| In office 11 October 1894 – 6 January 1899 |
|
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | The Marquess of Lansdowne |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Curzon of Kedleston |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 May 1849 Montreal, Canada East, Province of Canada |
| Died | 18 January 1917 (aged 67) Dunfermline, Fife, United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Lady Constance Mary (2) Gertrud Lilian Ashley Sherbrooke; died 1971) |
| Alma mater | Balliol College, Oxford |
Victor Alexander Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin, 13th Earl of Kincardine, KG, GCSI, GCIE, PC (16 May 1849 – 18 January 1917), known as Lord Bruce until 1863, was a British statesman who served as Viceroy of India from 1894 to 1899.
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Elgin was born in Montreal, Canada, the son of James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, who served as Governor-General of Canada at the time, and his wife Lady Mary Louisa, daughter of John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham. He was educated at Glenalmond, Eton and Balliol College, Oxford.
Elgin entered politics as a Liberal, serving as Treasurer of the Household and as First Commissioner of Works under William Ewart Gladstone in 1886.
Following in his father's footsteps, Elgin was made Viceroy of India in 1894. His viceroyalty was not a particularly notable one. Elgin himself did not enjoy the pomp and ceremony associated with the viceroyalty, and his conservative instincts were not well suited to a time of economic and social unrest. During his time as viceroy, famine broke out in India, in which Elgin reportedly admitted that up to 4.5 million people died.[1]
Elgin returned to England in 1899 and was made a Knight of the Garter. From 1902 to 1903, Elgin was made chairman of the commission that investigated the conduct of the Second Boer War. When the Liberals returned to power in 1905, Elgin became Secretary of State for the Colonies (with Winston Churchill as his Under-Secretary). As colonial secretary, he pursued a conservative policy, and opposed the generous settlement of the South African question proposed by Prime Minister Campbell-Bannerman, which was enacted more in spite of the Colonial Secretary's opposition than due to his efforts. Elgin retired from public life in 1908.
Lord Elgin married, firstly, Lady Constance Mary, daughter of James Carnegie, 9th Earl of Southesk, in 1876. They had six sons and five daughters:
After Lady Elgin's death in 1909 he married, secondly, Gertrud Lilian, daughter of William Sherbrooke and widow of Frederick Charles Ashley Ogilvy, in 1913. They had one son:
Lord Elgin died at the family estate in Dunfermline in January 1917, aged 67. He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son from his first marriage, Edward. His widow, Gertrude, later remarried. She died in February 1971.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Viscount Folkestone |
Treasurer of the Household 1886 |
Succeeded by Viscount Folkestone |
| Preceded by Albert Morley |
First Commissioner of Works 1886 |
Succeeded by David Plunkett |
| Preceded by Alfred Lyttelton |
Secretary of State for the Colonies 1905–1908 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Crewe |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by The Marquess of Lansdowne |
Viceroy of India 1894–1899 |
Succeeded by The Lord Curzon of Kedleston |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Sir Robert Anstruther |
Lord Lieutenant of Fife 1886–1917 |
Succeeded by Sir William Robertson |
| Peerage of Scotland | ||
| Preceded by James Bruce |
Earl of Elgin Earl of Kincardine 1863–1917 |
Succeeded by Edward James Bruce |