Andrew Elliot (November 1728 – 25 May 1797) was a British

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

and

official An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their ...

who served as the

Acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

and last British

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has ...

in 1783.

Early life

Elliot was born November 1728 in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, the son of Sir Gilbert Elliot, 2nd Baronet of

Minto Minto may refer to: Places Antarctica *Mount Minto (Antarctica) Australia *Minto, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Minto railway station * Minto County, Western Australia * Parish of Minto, New South Wales Canada * Minto City, British Col ...

and the former Helen Steuart (1696–1774). He was a brother of

Gilbert Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters * Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South ...

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, and

Jean Elliot Jean Elliot (April 1727 – 29 March 1805), also known as Jane Elliot, was a Scottish poet. She wrote one of the most famous versions of '' The Flowers of the Forest'', a song lamenting the Scottish army's defeat in the Battle of Flodden. ...

. His paternal grandparents were

Sir Gilbert Elliot, 1st Baronet, of Minto Sir Gilbert Elliot, 1st Baronet, of Minto ( – 1 May 1718) was a Scottish writer, lawyer, politician and judge from Minto in the Scottish Borders. He was the younger son of Gavin Elliot of Midlem Mill, Roxburghshire, and his wife, Margaret Ha ...

and Dame Jane Carre (the fourth daughter of Sir Andrew Carre of Cavers, Roxborough). His maternal grandparents were

Sir Robert Steuart, 1st Baronet Sir Robert Steuart (or Stewart), 1st Baronet of Allanbank (1643 – 1707) was a Scottish politician who represented North Berwick in the Parliament of Scotland from 1698 to 1702. Early life Steuart was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1643. He was ...

, of

Allanbank Allanbank is a village near Allanton, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the historic county of Berwickshire. Allanbank Chapel was dedicated to St. Mary and was located in a small field named Chapel Haugh. Nearby places include Blac ...

, and, his second wife, Helen Cockburn (a daughter of

Sir Alexander Cockburn Sir Alexander James Edmund Cockburn, 12th Baronet (24 September 1802 – 20 November 1880) was a British jurist and politician who served as the Lord Chief Justice for 21 years. He heard some of the leading '' causes célèbres'' of the nine ...

Langton Langton may refer to: Places ;Canada *Langton, Ontario ;England *Church Langton, Leicestershire *East Langton, Leicestershire *Great Langton, North Yorkshire *Langton, Cumbria *Langton, County Durham *Langton, Lincolnshire *Langton, North Yorkshi ...

). His maternal uncle was Archibald Stewart,

Lord Provost of Edinburgh The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh is the convener of the City of Edinburgh local authority, who is elected by City_of_Edinburgh_Council, the city council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the e ...

Career

He arrived in Pennsylvania in 1746 as an apprentice and established himself as a trader. In 1762, he was elected a member of the board of trustees of the

College of Philadelphia The Academy and College of Philadelphia (1749-1791) was a boys' school and men's college in Philadelphia, Colony of Pennsylvania. Founded in 1749 by a group of local notables that included Benjamin Franklin, the Academy of Philadelphia began as a ...

. In 1763, he was appointed collector of the port of New York and receiver general of New York. In 1764 he was appointed to the Province of New York executive council. During the American Revolution he remained a

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

. A few days after the

declaration of independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...

he left New York City for

Perth Amboy Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy has a Hispanic majority population. In the 2010 census, th ...

for his safety. He returned to New York City after the British reoccupation. On 1 May 1777 he was appointed the head of the military court of police and on 17 July the superintendent of all imports and exports. In 1780 he was appointed lieutenant governor of the Province of New York. In 1783 he was part of the delegation that met with

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

at Tappan. He was the acting governor from April 1783 to November.

Later life

Elliot sent his family back to Scotland on the ''Nunsuch'' on July 9th, and then he left for Scotland in December 1783.The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 1887, page 156 After returning to Scotland, he was asked to serve as British Minister to America in 1790, but declined and held no further public offices.

Personal life

Elliot was twice married. His first marriage was in 1754 to Eleanor McCall, a daughter of George McCall and Anne ( Yeates) McCall of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. Together, they were the parents of one child: * Eleanor Elliot (–1830), who married James Jauncey Jr., a member of the

New York General Assembly The General Assembly of New York, commonly known internationally as the New York General Assembly, and domestically simply as General Assembly, was the supreme legislative body of the Province of New York during its period of proprietal colonia ...

, in 1773. After his death, she married Admiral Robert Digby, MP for

Wells Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada *Wells, British Columbia England * Wells ...

, in 1784. After the death of his first wife, he married Elisabeth Plumsted in 1760. She was a daughter of the

Mayor of Philadelphia The mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current mayor of Philadelphia is Jim Kenney. History The first mayor of Philadelphia, ...

William Plumsted William Plumsted (November 7, 1708 – August 10, 1765) was the mayor of Philadelphia in 1750, 1754, and 1755. Early life Plumsted was born on November 7, 1708 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The son of Clement Plumsted, who was also a mayor of Phi ...

and, his first wife, Rebecca ( Kearney) Plumsted. After Elisabeth's mother died, her father William married Mary McCall, the sister of Elliot's first wife, making Elisabeth a step-daughter of his sister-in-law. Together, they were the parents of: * Agnes Murray Elliot (1763–1860), who married

Sir David Carnegie, 4th Baronet Sir David Carnegie of Pitarrow, 4th Baronet FRS FRSE (22 November 1753 – 25 May 1805) was a Scottish politician and (but for the attainder of the 5th Earl) 7th Earl of Southesk, 7th Baron Carnegie of Kinnaird and 7th Baron Carnegie, of Kinnai ...

. * Elizabeth Elliot (–1847), who married

William Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart General William Schaw Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart (17 September 175516 June 1843) was a British soldier and diplomat. Early life He was the son of Charles Cathcart, 9th Lord Cathcart and his wife Ann Hamilton. Cathcart born at Petersham, Lon ...

. Elliot died at home on 25 May 1797 at Mount Teviot,

Jedburgh Jedburgh (; gd, Deadard; sco, Jeddart or ) is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and the traditional county town of the historic county of Roxburghshire, the name of which was randomly chosen for Operation Jedburgh in su ...

, aged 68.

References

1728 births 1797 deaths British officials in the American Revolution Colonial American merchants Governors of the Province of New York Politicians from Edinburgh University of Pennsylvania people Younger sons of baronets Members of the New York Executive Council {{GB-bio-stub