Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 2nd Earl of Minto, (; 16 November 178231 July 1859), styled as Viscount Melgund between 1813 and 1814, was a British diplomat and Whig politician.

Background and education

Minto was the eldest son of the

Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto, (; 23 April 175121 June 1814), known as Sir Gilbert Elliott, 4th Baronet until 1797, and the Lord Minto from 1797 to 1813, was a British diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Comm ...

, and Anna Maria, daughter of Sir George Amyand, 1st Baronet. He was educated at Eton,

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

and

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

Diplomatic and political career

Minto was returned to Parliament for Ashburton in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

in 1806, a seat he held until 1807, and then represented

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh () is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the northwest, and Berwickshire to the north. T ...

between 1812 and 1814. He took a dim view of the

Prince Regent A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness) or ab ...

and his government. The latter year he succeeded his father in the earldom and took his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. He was admitted to Privy Council in 1832.Henry, D.G., "Elliot Murray Kynynmound, Hon. Gilbert (1782–1859), of Minto, Roxburgh.", The History of Parliament
/ref> From 1832 to 1834 he was Minister to Prussia. In 1835 he was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty under Lord Melbourne, a post he held until 1841, and later served as

Lord Privy Seal The Lord Privy Seal (or, more formally, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal) is the fifth of the Great Officers of State (United Kingdom), Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and abov ...

under Lord John Russell from 1846 to 1852. In his youth, Elliot had gone to Corsica where his father was viceroy and he developed an abiding affection for Italy. He served as special envoy to Switzerland, Sardinia, Tuscany, Rome, Sicily in 1847–8. His influence in the Whig party was partly because his daughter, Lady Frances, was the wife of Lord John Russell.

Family

Lord Minto married Mary, daughter of Patrick Brydone, in 1806. They had at least five sons and five daughters. Lady Minto died in July 1853. Lord Minto survived her by six years and died in July 1859, aged 75. He was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son,

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

. *Lady Charlotte (died 1899), married the Conservative MP

Melville Portal Melville Portal Justice of the Peace, JP, Deputy Lieutenant, DL (31 July 1819 – 24 January 1904) was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician from Hampshire. Career Portal was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, graduati ...

. *Harriet Anne Gertrude (d. 9 Feb. 1855). Died young * William, 3rd Earl of Minto *Lady Mary Elizabeth married Ralph Abercromby, 2nd Baron Dunfermline. They had one daughter who married the brother of Coutts Trotter. *Hon. Sir Henry Elliot was a diplomat *Sir Charles Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound was an Admiral of the Fleet. * Frances Anna Maria (1815–1898) married John Russell, later Prime Minister. *Hon. George Francis (9 October 1822 – 14 February 1901), was a barrister. Died unmarried. *Lady Elizabeth Amelia Jane (c. 1823 – 18 Jan. 1892), who married Lt.-Col. Frederick Romilly, son of Samuel Romilly. They had issue. *Lt-Col. Hon. Gilbert (23 May 1826 – 25 May 1865), who married Katherine Anne Gilbert, daughter of

Ashurst Gilbert Ashurst Turner Gilbert (14 May 1786 – 21 February 1870) was an England, English churchman and academic, Principal (academia), Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford, from 1822 and bishop of Chichester. Life The son of Thomas Gilbert of Ratclif ...

Bishop of Chichester The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the counties of East Sussex, East and West Sussex. The Episcopal see, see is based in t ...

. They had no issue.

References

External links