Sir Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff (21 February 1829 – 12 January 1906), known as M. E. Grant Duff before 1887 and as Sir Mountstuart Grant Duff thereafter, was a Scottish politician, administrator and author. He served as the

Under-Secretary of State for India This is a list of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State and Permanent Under-Secretaries of State at the India Office during the period of British rule between 1858 and 1937 for India(and Burma by extension), and for India and Burma from 193 ...

from 1868 to 1874,

Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies The Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies was a junior Ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the Secretary of State for the Colonies and, from 1948, also to a Minister of State. Under-Secretaries of State for the Col ...

from 1880 to 1881 and the

Governor of Madras This is a list of the governors, agents, and presidents of colonial Madras, initially of the English East India Company, up to the end of British colonial rule in 1947. English Agents In 1639, the grant of Madras to the English was finalized be ...

from 1881 to 1886. He was born in Eden, Aberdeenshire, on 21 February 1829 to the distinguished British historian

James Grant Duff James Grant Duff (8 July 1789 – 23 September 1858) was a British soldier and historian from Scotland, who was active in British India. Early life Born James Grant, Duff was the eldest son of John Grant of Kincardine O'Neil and Margaret Miln D ...

. He had his education at Grange School and

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

, and graduated in law from the

Inns of Court The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. There are four Inns of Court – Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple and Middle Temple. All barristers must belong to one of them. They have ...

. He practised and taught law for a short time before starting a political life and entering the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

as the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Member of Parliament for Elgin Burghs. His abilities won him government positions and he was

and

. On his return from Madras, he retired from politics and served in various art and scientific societies. He travelled extensively and wrote voluminously. His performance in politics and administration has received mixed reviews during the 1880s

a politician of brilliant promise and scant performance, of wide information which he seemed to turn to much account, of abilities which would have made the fortunes of half a dozen men and of which he made little enough.

He was made a

Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...

and a Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India. He died on 12 January 1906 at the age of 76.

Early life and education

He was born in Eden,

Banff, Banffshire Banff ( gd, Banbh) is a town in the Banff and Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated on Banff Bay and faces the town of Macduff across the estuary of the River Deveron. It is a former royal burgh, and is the county town of th ...

on 21 February 1829, the elder son of

, a well known

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n official from

Bombay Presidency The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

and British Resident in the princely state of Satara, and his wife Jane Catherine, daughter of Sir

Whitelaw Ainslie Sir Whitelaw Ainslie FRSE (17 February 1767 – 29 April 1837) was a British surgeon and writer on '' materia medica,'' best known for his work as a surgeon in the employment of the East India Company in India. He published the first major English ...

. He was named after

Mountstuart Elphinstone Mountstuart Elphinstone (6 October 1779 – 20 November 1859) was a Scottish statesman and historian, associated with the government of British India. He later became the Governor of Bombay (now Mumbai) where he is credited with the open ...

whom James Grant Duff regarded as his mentor. He had his schooling at

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, is now part of the Se ...

and Grange School and at

, from 1847 to 1850. He completed his master's degree in 1853. During these years he experienced problems with his vision, and for the rest of his life he relied on the sight of others. He studied law at the

and passed with honours, appearing next to

James Fitzjames Stephen Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, 1st Baronet, KCSI (3 March 1829 – 11 March 1894) was an English lawyer, judge, writer, and philosopher. One of the most famous critics of John Stuart Mill, Stephen achieved prominence as a philosopher, law re ...

. He was called to the bar at

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

, London on 17 November 1854 and practised as a junior under William Ventris Field. During this time he lectured at the Working Men's College and wrote for the ''Saturday Review''. Soon afterwards, he entered politics and joined the Liberal Party.

Political career

In the 1857 election he was elected to the

as the Liberal Party's candidate for Elgin Burghs. He was a member of the House of Commons from 1857 to 1881. As a parliamentarian, he took up the cause of education in his constituency and gave regular annual speeches on foreign policy. In order to make these speeches as informative and realistic, he took trips abroad to study the situation in foreign countries. In 1879, he met with

Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...

and remarked "Altogether my impression of Marx, allowing for his being at the opposite pole of opinion from oneself, was not at all unfavourable and I would gladly meet him again."

Government positions

His proficiency and expertise on foreign issues won him positions in the foreign ministry. Sir Charles W. Dilke declined the role of

Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs is a vacant junior position in the British government, subordinate to both the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and since 1945 also to the Minister of State for Foreign Affair ...

and suggested to

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

that Grant Duff be appointed. Gladstone refused but appointed Grant Duff as

on 8 December 1868., a position he filled until 1874 when the Liberal Party government of Gladstone resigned. He worked well with the Secretary of State Argyll; their relationship was described by Duthie as 'rather deliberately obedient to Argyll; and always in agreement with him on policy'. During Grant Duff's tenure, the Kuka insurrection broke out in India. The massacre of 50 rebelling Kukas sparked outrage in Parliament and Grant Duff was compelled to accept responsibility. When Gladstone was voted back to power in 1880, Grant Duff was appointed

. He served till 26 June 1881, when he was appointed

. During this time, he also served on

Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of e ...

Governor of Madras

He was captivated by the beach at

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

on an earlier visit to the city. As a result, when he became governor in 1881 he immediately commenced the construction of a promenade along the beach. The beach was extensively modified and layered with soft sand and was named " The Marina". The promenade was opened to the public in 1884. On the naming of the beach, Grant Duff explained in a letter: In 1864, several specimens of a yellow flowering ''

Iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...

'' were collected by Mr. B. T. Lowne on the banks of the river Kishon in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. It was later found by Grant Duff on the plains of Esdraelon (

Jezreel Valley The Jezreel Valley (from the he, עמק יזרעאל, translit. ''ʿĒmeq Yīzrəʿēʿl''), or Marj Ibn Amir ( ar, مرج ابن عامر), also known as the Valley of Megiddo, is a large fertile plain and inland valley in the Northern Distr ...

). The iris was then named after him, '' Iris grant-duffii''. He was a strong supporter of

Dietrich Brandis Sir Dietrich Brandis (31 March 1824 – 28 May 1907) was a German-British botanist and forestry academic and administrator, who worked with the British Imperial Forestry Service in colonial India for nearly 30 years. He joined the British civil ...

in his reorganization of the Madras Forest Department and expansion of systematic forest

conservancy Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

in India. His tenure was filled with a number of controversies and allegations of partisan behaviour and injustice. He was sharply criticized for the way he handled the Chingleput Ryots' Case and the arrests and trials following the Salem Riots of 1882. ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

'' accused him of indulging in vindictive and vengeful behaviour. In one of the articles, he was criticized thus: He was also accused of deliberately nurturing a movement against

Brahmins Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru o ...

. However,

Louis Mallet Sir Louis Mallet CB PC (14 March 1823 – 16 February 1890) was a British civil servant who was an advocate of free trade and served on the Council of India. Career Louis Mallet was born in Hampstead, grandson of Jacques Mallet du Pan an ...

, the then Under-Secretary of State for India, was all praise for him. On receipt of his last minute as governor, Mallett said W. S. Blunt, the British publicist, who visited Madras in November 1884, said of Grant Duff: The

Madras Mahajana Sabha Madras Mahajana Sabha was an Indian nationalist organisation based in the Madras Presidency. Along with the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha, Bombay Presidency Association and the Indian Association, it is considered to be a predecessor of the Indian Nati ...

was established in 1884 with

P. Rangaiah Naidu Palavai Rangaiah Naidu (1828–1902) was an Indian lawyer, politician and Indian independence activist. He was an important leader of the Indian National Congress in its early stages. Early career Rangaiah Naidu was born in 1828 in a Telugu-s ...

as its president and R. Balaji Rao as its vice-president. This is considered to be one of the oldest Indian political organisations in the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...

, notwithstanding the Madras Native Association, which was a failure. Members of the Madras Mahajana Sabha played a pivotal role in corresponding with Indian associations in other provinces and forming the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

in 1885. The Indian National Congress held its first session at

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

in December 1885, attended by 72 delegates including 22 from the Madras Presidency. Grant Duff was made a

in 1881 and a Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India in March 1887. In July 1886, Gladstone tried to get a

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

for him but failed. On an official visit to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

a few years after the conclusion of his tenure, Grant Duff records that the Speaker of the

Italian Parliament The Italian Parliament ( it, Parlamento italiano) is the national parliament of the Italian Republic. It is the representative body of Italian citizens and is the successor to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1943), the transitiona ...

Biancheri inquired about the size of the province that Grant Duff had governed. On receiving the reply that the province was 'larger than Italy, including all the Italian islands', Biancheri astonishedly asked "What an empire is that, in which such a country is only a province?".

Later life

On his return to England in 1887, he devoted himself to the arts and sciences. He was Lord Rector of

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...

in 1866–1872. He was member of the ''Athenaeum'', the Cosmopolitan Club, Literary Society, Grillion's Club, Breakfast Club and was the president of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

from 1889 to 1893 and of the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...

from 1892 to 1899. He was treasurer of the exclusive dining club known as The Club from 1893. He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in 1881, and was appointed a trustee of the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

in 1903. He was Chairman of the Liberty and Property Defence League, established to curb socialist tendencies in the Liberal Party.

Personal life

In April 1859 he married Anna Julia Webster; they had four sons and four daughters. Their eldest daughter was Clare Annabel Caroline, wife of the financier

Frederick Huth Jackson Frederick Huth Jackson (1863–1921), was a British banker, and a partner of the merchant bank, Frederick Huth & Co, founded by his great-grandfather, Frederick Huth. Early life He was the son of Thomas Hughes Jackson (1834–1930) and Hermi ...

, whilst their third son, Adrian Grant-Duff,H. C. G. Matthew, 'Duff, Sir Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant- (1829–1906)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004 colonel of the Black Watch, was killed at the

First Battle of the Aisne The First Battle of the Aisne (french: 1re Bataille de l'Aisne) was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army (led by Alexander von Kluck) and the Second Army (led by Karl von Bülow) as they retreated aft ...

in September 1914. Adrian's daughter was

Shiela Grant Duff Shiela Grant Duff (11 May 1913 – 19 March 2004) was a British author, journalist and foreign correspondent. She was known for her opposition to appeasement before the Second World War. Early years The youngest daughter of Adrian Grant Du ...

while his son, Neill, was killed at Houdetot near St Valery-en-Caux France in 1940 whilst serving with the Black Watch. He died in his home in Chelsea, London in January 1906, aged 76, and was buried in Elgin Cathedral, Scotland.

Ancestry

Works

* (

Scan Scan may refer to: Acronyms * Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN), a psychiatric diagnostic tool developed by WHO * Shared Check Authorization Network (SCAN), a database of bad check writers and collection agency for bad ...

) * (

) * ''Notes from a diary''. London: John Murray. - (1851-1872):1 2 - (1873-1881):1 2 - (1881-1886):1 2 - (1886-1888):1 2 - (1889-1891):1 2 - (1892-1895):1 2 - (1896-1901):1 2 * (

) * volume 1

volume 2 Volume Two, Volume 2, Volume II or Vol. II may refer to: * '' Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life'', a 1998 album by rapper Jay-Z * ''Volume 2'' (Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass album), 1963 * '' Vol. 2 (Breaking Through)'', by The West Coast Pop Art Experimenta ...

Notes

References

* *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grant Duff, Mountstuart Elphinstone 1829 births 1906 deaths Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Fellows of the Royal Society UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 UK MPs 1865–1868 UK MPs 1868–1874 UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885 Presidents of the Royal Geographical Society Presidents of the Royal Historical Society Rectors of the University of Aberdeen People from Banffshire