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{{Short description|British peer and politician (1845–1914)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| honorific-prefix = [[His Excellency]] [[The Right Honourable]]
| name = The Earl of Minto
| name = The Earl of Minto
| honorific-suffix = [[Order of the Garter|KG]] [[Order of the Star of India|GCSI]] [[Order of St Michael and St George|GCMG]] [[Order of the Indian Empire|GCIE]] [[His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council|PC]]
| honorific-suffix = [[Order of the Garter|KG]] [[Order of the Star of India|GCSI]] [[Order of St Michael and St George|GCMG]] [[Order of the Indian Empire|GCIE]] [[His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council|PC]]
| office = Viceroy of India{{!}}Viceroy and Governor-General of India
| office = Viceroy of India{{!}}Viceroy and Governor-General of India
| order = 17th
| order = 17th
| image = Fourth Earl of Minto.jpg
| image = Fourth Earl of Minto.jpg
| caption =
| caption =
| monarch = [[Edward VII]]
| monarch = [[Edward VII]]<br/>[[George V]]
| predecessor = [[George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston|The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston]]
| predecessor = [[George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston|The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston]]
| primeminister = [[Arthur Balfour]]<br/>[[Henry Campbell-Bannerman]]<br/>[[H. H. Asquith]]
| primeminister = [[Arthur Balfour]]<br/>[[Henry Campbell-Bannerman]]<br/>[[H. H. Asquith]]
| successor = [[Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst]]
| successor = [[Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst]]
| monarch1 = [[Queen Victoria|Victoria]]<br/>[[Edward VII]]
| monarch1 = [[Queen Victoria|Victoria]]<br/>[[Edward VII]]
| office1 = Governor General of Canada
| office1 = Governor General of Canada
| order1 = 8th
| order1 = 8th
| predecessor1 = [[John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair|The Earl of Aberdeen]]
| predecessor1 = [[John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair|The Earl of Aberdeen]]
| primeminister1 = [[Prime Minister of Canada|Canadian]]<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;• [[Wilfrid Laurier]]<br/>[[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British]]<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;• [[Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury|The Marquess of Salisbury]]<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;• [[Arthur Balfour]]
| primeminister1 = [[Prime Minister of Canada|Canadian]]<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;• [[Wilfrid Laurier]]<br/>[[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British]]<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;• [[Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury|The Marquess of Salisbury]]<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;• [[Arthur Balfour]]
| successor1 = [[Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey|The Earl Grey]]
| successor1 = [[Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey|The Earl Grey]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1845|07|9}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1845|07|9}}
| birth_place = [[Mayfair]], [[London]], UK
| birth_place = [[Mayfair, London]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1914|3|1|1845|7|9}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1914|3|1|1845|7|9}}
| death_place = [[Minto, Scottish Borders|Minto]], Scotland, UK
| death_place = [[Minto, Scottish Borders]]
| spouse = Mary Caroline Grey
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Mary Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, Countess of Minto|Mary Caroline Grey]]<br />|1883}}
| children = 5, including [[Victor Gilbert Lariston Garnet Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 5th Earl of Minto]]
⚫
| children = 5
| parents = [[William Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 3rd Earl of Minto]]<br/>Emma Hislop
| parents = [[William Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 3rd Earl of Minto]]<br/>Emma Hislop
| alma_mater = [[Trinity College, Cambridge]]
| alma_mater = [[Trinity College, Cambridge]]
| term_start1 = 12 November 1898
| term_start1 = 12 November 1898
| term_end1 = 10 December 1904
| term_end1 = 10 December 1904
| term_start = 18 November 1905
| term_start = 18 November 1905
| term_end = 23 November 1910
| term_end = 23 November 1910
| allegiance = {{flagcountry|UK}}
| branch = {{Army|UK}}
| serviceyears = 1867–1885
| rank = Lieutenant<br>Major
| unit = [[Scots Guards]]<br>1st Roxboroughshire Mounted Rifles
⚫
| commands =
| battles = [[Second Anglo-Afghan War]]<br>[[Anglo-Egyptian War]]<br>[[Mahdist War]]<br>[[North-West Rebellion]]
}}
}}
[[File:Garter-encircled Shield of Arms of Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto, KG, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC.png|thumb|261px|right|Garter-encircled shield of arms of Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto, KG, as displayed on his Order of the Garter stall plate in St. George's Chapel.]]
[[File:Garter-encircled Shield of Arms of Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto, KG, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC.png|thumb|right|250px|Garter-encircled Shield of Arms of Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto, KG, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC]]
'''Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|KG|GCSI|GCMG|GCIE|PC|sep=,|size=100}} ({{IPAc-en|k|ɪ|ˈ|n|ɪ|n|m|ə|n|d}};<ref>{{cite book|last=Pointon|first=G. E.|year=1983|title=BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names|edition=2nd|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=137|isbn=0-19-282745-6}}</ref> 9 July 1845{{spaced ndash}}1 March 1914), known as '''Viscount Melgund''' [[Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom|by courtesy]] from 1859 to 1891, was a British peer and politician who served as [[Governor General of Canada]], the [[List of Governors General of Canada#Governors General of Canada, 1867–present|eighth]] since [[Canadian Confederation]], and as [[Governor-General of India|Viceroy and Governor-General of India]], the country's 17th.
'''Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|KG|GCSI|GCMG|GCIE|PC|sep=,|size=100}} ({{IPAc-en|k|ɪ|ˈ|n|ɪ|n|m|ə|n|d}};<ref>{{cite book|last=Pointon|first=G. E.|year=1983|title=BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names|edition=2nd|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=137|isbn=0-19-282745-6}}</ref> 9 July 1845{{spaced ndash}}1 March 1914), known as '''Viscount Melgund''' by courtesy from 1859 to 1891, was a British peer and politician who served as [[Governor General of Canada]] from 1898 to 1904, and [[Governor-General of India|Viceroy of India]] from 1905 to 1910.


==Early life and career==
==Early life and career==
Minto was born in [[London]], the son of [[William Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 3rd Earl of Minto]], and Emma, daughter of General [[Sir Thomas Hislop, 1st Baronet]]. After the death of his grandfather in 1859 he became known by the courtesy title of '''Viscount Melgund'''. After completing his education at [[Eton College]] and [[Trinity College, Cambridge]],<ref>{{acad|id=MLGT863GJ|name=Melgund, Gilbert John Murray Kynynmond Elliot (Viscount)}}</ref> he was commissioned a Lieutenant in the [[Scots Guards]] in 1867, but left in 1870. He joined the 1st Roxburghshire Mounted Rifle Volunteer Corps as a [[Captain (land)|Captain]] in 1872. In 1874, in the capacity of a newspaper correspondent, he witnessed the operations of the [[Carlists]] in Spain; he took service with the [[Turkey|Turkish]] army in the war with [[Russia]] in 1877 and served under Lord Roberts in the [[Second Anglo-Afghan War|second Afghan War]] (1878–1879), having narrowly escaped accompanying Sir [[Louis Cavagnari]] on his fatal mission to Kabul.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Minto, Earls of|volume=18|page=564}}</ref>
Minto was born in [[London]], the son of [[William Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 3rd Earl of Minto]], and Emma, daughter of General [[Sir Thomas Hislop, 1st Baronet]]. After the death of his grandfather in 1859 he became known by the courtesy title of '''Viscount Melgund'''. After completing his education at [[Eton College]] and [[Trinity College, Cambridge]],<ref>{{acad|id=MLGT863GJ|name=Melgund, Gilbert John Murray Kynynmond Elliot (Viscount)}}</ref> he was commissioned a Lieutenant in the [[Scots Guards]] in 1867, but left in 1870. He joined the 1st Roxburghshire Mounted Rifle Volunteer Corps as a [[Captain (land)|captain]] in 1872. In 1874, in the capacity of a newspaper correspondent, he witnessed the operations of the [[Carlists]] in Spain; he took service with the [[Turkey|Turkish]] army in the war with [[Russia]] in 1877 and served under Lord Roberts in the [[Second Anglo-Afghan War|second Afghan War]] (1878–1879), having narrowly escaped accompanying Sir [[Louis Cavagnari]] on his fatal mission to Kabul.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Minto, Earls of|volume=18|page=564}}</ref>


He acted as private secretary to [[Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts|Lord Roberts]] during his mission to the [[Cape Town|Cape]] in 1881,<ref name="EB1911"/> and was with the army occupying [[Egypt]] in 1882, thus furthering his military career and his experience of colonial administration. He was promoted Major in 1882. He was military secretary to the [[Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne|Marquess of Lansdowne]] during his governor-generalship of Canada from 1883 to 1885, and lived in Canada with his wife, Mary Caroline Grey, sister of [[Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey|Lord Grey]], Governor General from 1904 to 1911, whom he had married in Britain on 28 July 1883. On this first Canadian visit, he was very active in raising a Canadian volunteer force to serve with the British Army in the [[Sudan]] Campaign of 1884. He served as Chief of Staff to General Middleton in the [[North-West Rebellion|Riel Rebellion]] of 1885. When he was offered command of the [[North-West Mounted Police]], he decided instead to pursue a political career in Britain. On his departure home to Britain, Canadian Prime Minister [[John A. Macdonald|Sir John A. Macdonald]] apparently said to him, "I shall not live to see it, but some day Canada will welcome you back as Governor General".
He acted as private secretary to [[Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts|Lord Roberts]] during his mission to the [[Cape Town|Cape]] in 1881,<ref name="EB1911"/> and was with the army occupying [[Egypt]] in 1882, thus furthering his military career and his experience of colonial administration. He was promoted Major in 1882. He was military secretary to the [[Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne|Marquess of Lansdowne]] during his governor-generalship of Canada from 1883 to 1885, and lived in Canada with his wife, Mary Caroline Grey, sister of [[Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey|Lord Grey]], Governor General from 1904 to 1911, whom he had married in Britain on 28 July 1883. On this first Canadian visit, he was very active in raising a Canadian volunteer force to serve with the British Army in the [[Sudan]] Campaign of 1884. He served as Chief of Staff to General Middleton in the [[North-West Rebellion|Riel Rebellion]] of 1885. When he was offered command of the [[North-West Mounted Police]], he decided instead to pursue a political career in Britain. On his departure home to Britain, Canadian Prime Minister [[John A. Macdonald|Sir John A. Macdonald]] apparently said to him, "I shall not live to see it, but some day Canada will welcome you back as Governor General".


His political aspirations were checked with his defeat in the [[1886 United Kingdom general election|1886 general election]], where he stood as the Conservative candidate for [[Hexham (UK Parliament constituency)|Hexham]]. He then applied himself with great enthusiasm to promoting a volunteer army in Britain. In 1888 he was promoted [[Colonel (United Kingdom)|Colonel]] on assuming command of the South of Scotland Brigade. He resigned his commission in 1889. He succeeded to his father's [[earl]]dom in 1891, becoming '''The Earl of Minto'''.
His political aspirations were checked with his defeat in the [[1886 United Kingdom general election|1886 general election]], where he stood as the Conservative candidate for [[Hexham (UK Parliament constituency)|Hexham]]. He then applied himself with great enthusiasm to promoting a volunteer army in Britain. In 1888 he was promoted [[Colonel (United Kingdom)|colonel]] on assuming command of the South of Scotland Brigade. He resigned his commission in 1889. He succeeded to his father's [[earl]]dom in 1891, becoming '''The Earl of Minto'''.


==Governor General of Canada==
==Governor General of Canada==
Macdonald's prediction came true when Minto was named Governor General of Canada in the summer of 1898, having campaigned for the post after he learned of the retirement of Lord Aberdeen.<ref name="EB1911"/><ref>{{Cite ODNB|title=Kynynmound, Gilbert John Elliot Murray, fourth earl of Minto (1845–1914), governor-general of Canada and viceroy of India|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-33001|access-date=2021-04-24|year=2004|language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/33001|last1=Miller|first1=Carman|last2=Woods|first2=Philip|isbn=9780198614128}}</ref> [[Wilfrid Laurier|Sir Wilfrid Laurier]] wrote that [[Earl of Minto|Lord Minto]] "took his duties to heart" and a review of his life reveals an energetic man who welcomed many challenges and responsibilities.
Macdonald's prediction came true when Minto was named Governor General of Canada in the summer of 1898, having campaigned for the post after he learned of the retirement of Lord Aberdeen.<ref name="EB1911"/><ref>{{Cite ODNB|title=Kynynmound, Gilbert John Elliot Murray, fourth earl of Minto (1845–1914), governor-general of Canada and viceroy of India|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-33001|access-date=24 April 2021|year=2004|language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/33001|last1=Miller|first1=Carman|last2=Woods|first2=Philip|isbn=9780198614128}}</ref> [[Wilfrid Laurier|Sir Wilfrid Laurier]] wrote that [[Earl of Minto|Lord Minto]] "took his duties to heart" and a review of his life reveals an energetic man who welcomed many challenges and responsibilities.


Lord Minto's term of office was marked by a period of strong nationalism which saw economic growth coupled with massive immigration to Canada. Relations with the United States were strained as border and fishing disputes continued to create problems between the two countries.
Lord Minto's term of office was marked by a period of strong nationalism which saw economic growth coupled with massive immigration to Canada. Relations with the United States were strained as border and fishing disputes continued to create problems between the two countries.
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Lord Minto also took great interest in the development of the Canadian military and emphasized the need for training and professional development. He was appointed honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of the Governor General's Foot Guards Regiment on 1 December 1898 and was subsequently appointed Honorary Colonel, a tradition that has continued with the post of Governors General to this day.
Lord Minto also took great interest in the development of the Canadian military and emphasized the need for training and professional development. He was appointed honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of the Governor General's Foot Guards Regiment on 1 December 1898 and was subsequently appointed Honorary Colonel, a tradition that has continued with the post of Governors General to this day.


He was appointed a [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Counsellor]] on 11 August 1902,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27464 |date=12 August 1902 |page=5173 }}</ref> following an announcement of the King's intention to make this appointment in the [[1902 Coronation Honours]] list published in June.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |articlename=The Coronation Honours |day_of_week=Thursday |date=26 June 1902 |page_number=5 |issue=36804}}</ref>
He was appointed a [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Counsellor]] on 11 August 1902,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27464 |date=12 August 1902 |page=5173 }}</ref> following an announcement of the King's intention to make this appointment in the [[1902 Coronation Honours]] list published in June.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=The Coronation Honours |date=26 June 1902 |page=5 |issue=36804}}</ref>


On his trip back to Britain in 1904, having finished his term as Canada's Governor General, Lord Minto wrote in his journal "... so our life in Canada is over and it has been a great wrench parting from so many friends and leaving a country which I love, and which has been very full of interest to me".
On his trip back to Britain in 1904, having finished his term as Canada's Governor General, Lord Minto wrote in his journal "... so our life in Canada is over and it has been a great wrench parting from so many friends and leaving a country which I love, and which has been very full of interest to me".
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{{Expand section|date=April 2015}}
{{Expand section|date=April 2015}}


In 1905, on the resignation of [[George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston|Lord Curzon of Kedleston]], Minto was appointed Viceroy and Governor-General of India, retiring in 1910.<ref name="EB1911"/> In this, he followed in the footsteps of [[Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto|his great-grandfather, the first Lord Minto]]. When [[John Morley]] as [[Secretary of State for India]] wrote to Minto arguing that "Reforms may not save the ''Raj'', but if they don't, nothing else will", Minto replied:
In 1905, on the resignation of [[George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston|Lord Curzon of Kedleston]], Minto was appointed Viceroy and Governor-General of India, retiring in 1910.<ref name="EB1911"/> In this, he followed in the footsteps of [[Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto|his great-grandfather, the first Lord Minto]]. In 1908 [[John Morley]] as [[Secretary of State for India]] wrote to Minto arguing that "Reforms may not save the ''Raj'', but if they don't, nothing else will", Minto replied:


<blockquote>...when you say that "if reforms do not save the ''Raj'' nothing else will" I am afraid I must utterly disagree. The ''Raj'' will not disappear in India as long as the British race remains what it is, because we shall fight for the ''Raj'' as hard as we have ever fought, if it comes to fighting, and we shall win as we have always won.<ref>[[Nicholas Mansergh]], ''The Commonwealth Experience'' (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1969), p. 13.</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>...when you say that "if reforms do not save the ''Raj'' nothing else will" I am afraid I must utterly disagree. The ''Raj'' will not disappear in India as long as the British race remains what it is, because we shall fight for the ''Raj'' as hard as we have ever fought, if it comes to fighting, and we shall win as we have always won.<ref>[[Nicholas Mansergh]], ''The Commonwealth Experience'' (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1969), p. 13.</ref></blockquote>


The reforms were called usually by the name "[[Morley–Minto Reforms]]" because of both John Morley and Lord Minto worked together to draw these reforms. They were passed by the British parliament in 1909 as the Indian Councils Act.
The reforms were called usually by the name "[[Morley–Minto Reforms]]" because of both John Morley and Lord Minto worked together to draw these reforms. They were passed by the British parliament in 1909 as the Indian Councils Act.

On 15 November 1909, two bombs were hurled at Lord Minto and his wife near Raipur Gate of [[Ahmedabad]] which did not hurt them.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1909-11-16|title=Vile Attack on Lord and Lady Minto |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ESD19091116.2.49 |access-date=2023-08-28 |via=Papers Past|publisher=Evening Star|page=6|issue=14216}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1909-11-15 |title=Bombs Are Thrown at Viceroy of India – Persistent Attempts to Blow Up Lord Minto, Driving with Wife at Ahmedabad. Two Bombs Intercepted – They Fail to Explode, but Another Goes Off a Short Distance Away, Severing a Man's Hand. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1909/11/15/archives/bombs-are-thrown-at-viceroy-of-india-persistent-attempts-to-blow-up.html |access-date=2023-08-28 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>


He was succeeded by [[Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst|Lord Hardinge of Penshurst]].
He was succeeded by [[Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst|Lord Hardinge of Penshurst]].


For his lifetime of service, he was made a [[Knight of the Garter]].
For his lifetime of service, he was made a [[Knight of the Garter|Knight Companion of the Garter]].


==Marriage==
==Marriage==
He married, on 28 July 1883, Lady Mary Caroline Grey, daughter of [[Charles Grey (British Army officer)|Charles Grey]] and Caroline Eliza Farquhar. They had five children:
He married, on 28 July 1883, [[Mary Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, Countess of Minto|Lady Mary Caroline Grey]], daughter of [[Charles Grey (British Army officer)|Charles Grey]] and Caroline Eliza Farquhar. She was the sister of [[Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey]], Sybil Beauclerk, Duchess of St Albans, [[Louisa McDonnell, Countess of Antrim]] and Lady Victoria Dawnay. They had five children:


* Lady Eileen Nina Evelyn Sibell Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound (13 December 1884{{snd}}29 May 1938), married Lord Francis Montagu Douglas Scott (son of [[William Montagu Douglas Scott, 6th Duke of Buccleuch|the 6th Duke of Buccleuch]] and [[Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch|Lady Louisa Hamilton]]), and had issue;
* Lady Eileen Nina Evelyn Sibell Elliot (13 December 1884{{snd}}29 May 1938), married Lord Francis Montagu Douglas Scott (son of [[William Montagu Douglas Scott, 6th Duke of Buccleuch|the 6th Duke of Buccleuch]] and [[Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch|Lady Louisa Hamilton]]), and had issue;
* Lady Ruby Florence Mary Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound (26 September 1886{{snd}}5 November 1961), married [[Rowland Baring, 2nd Earl of Cromer]], and had issue;
* Lady Ruby Florence Mary Elliot (26 September 1886{{snd}}5 November 1961), married [[Rowland Baring, 2nd Earl of Cromer]], and had issue;
* [[Violet Astor|Lady Violet Mary Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound]] (28 May 1889{{snd}}3 January 1965), married, firstly, [[Lord Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice]], and had issue, secondly, [[John Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever]], and had issue;
* [[Violet Astor|Lady Violet Mary Elliot]] (28 May 1889{{snd}}3 January 1965), married, firstly, [[Lord Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice]], and had issue, secondly, [[John Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever]], and had issue;
* [[Victor Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 5th Earl of Minto]] (12 February 1891{{snd}}11 January 1975);
* [[Victor Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 5th Earl of Minto]] (12 February 1891{{snd}}11 January 1975);
* The Honourable Gavin William Esmond Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound (25 April 1895{{snd}}6 August 1917; [[killed in action]]).{{cn|date=October 2020}}
* The Honourable Gavin William Esmond Elliot (25 April 1895{{snd}}6 August 1917; [[killed in action]]).{{cn|date=October 2020}}


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
[[Image:LordMelgund1885.jpg|thumb|Lord Melgund in 1885, as Middleton's chief of staff]]
[[Image:LordMelgund1885.jpg|thumb|Lord Melgund in 1885, as Middleton's chief of staff]]
The Earl of Minto's popularity in Canada outlived him. In addition to a Minto Place in Rockcliffe, Ottawa and Minto Street in Vancouver and the ''SS Minto'', a famous steamer on the [[Arrow Lakes]], the gold-mining company town of [[Minto City, British Columbia|Minto City]] in the [[Bridge River|Bridge River Country]], established 1936, was named in honour of the Earl. Also named for the Earl was [[Mount Minto]] in the [[Atlin Country|Atlin District]] of far northern [[British Columbia]], the town of [[Minto, Ontario]]. In addition, [[Minto, New Brunswick]] was renamed in memory of him. The Earl of Minto and Lady Minto appeared on the obverse of the Canadian four-dollar bill in the 1900 and 1902 versions of this denomination. Indirectly, the town of [[Minto, North Dakota]] in the United States is named for Minto, Ontario, whence its settlers came.<ref>{{cite book|author=Federal Writers' Project|author-link=Federal Writers' Project|title=North Dakota, a Guide to the Northern Prairie State,|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dCGVnMUdNqMC&pg=PA189|year=1938|publisher=WPA|isbn=978-1-62376-033-5|page=189}}</ref>
The Earl of Minto's popularity in Canada outlived him. In addition to a Minto Place in Rockcliffe, Ottawa and Minto Street in Vancouver and the SS ''Minto'', a famous steamer on the [[Arrow Lakes]], the gold-mining company town of [[Minto City, British Columbia|Minto City]] in the [[Bridge River|Bridge River Country]], established 1936, was named in honour of the Earl. Also named for the Earl was [[K'iyán Mountain|Mount Minto]] in the [[Atlin Country|Atlin District]] of far northern [[British Columbia]], the town of [[Minto, Ontario]]. In addition, [[Minto, New Brunswick]] was renamed in memory of him. The Earl of Minto and Lady Minto appeared on the obverse of the Canadian four-dollar bill in the 1900 and 1902 versions of this denomination. Indirectly, the town of [[Minto, North Dakota]] in the United States is named for Minto, Ontario, whence its settlers came.<ref>{{cite book|author=Federal Writers' Project|author-link=Federal Writers' Project|title=North Dakota, a Guide to the Northern Prairie State|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dCGVnMUdNqMC&pg=PA189|year=1938|publisher=WPA|isbn=978-1-62376-033-5|page=189}}</ref>


Minto Park in [[Kolkata]] (formerly Calcutta), India, commemorates him. The school from which [[Aligarh Muslim University]] evolved was named behind him as [[Minto Circle]] after his generous funding for the construction of the new school buildings.
Minto Park in [[Kolkata]] (formerly Calcutta), India, commemorates him. The school from which [[Aligarh Muslim University]] evolved was named behind him as [[Minto Circle]] after his generous funding for the construction of the new school buildings.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Minto, Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minto, Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl}}
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[[Category:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India]]
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[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
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Revision as of 21:25, 27 August 2024

His Excellency The Right Honourable
The Earl of Minto
KG GCSI GCMG GCIE PC
17th Viceroy and Governor-General of India
In office
18 November 1905 – 23 November 1910
MonarchsEdward VII
George V
Prime MinisterArthur Balfour
Henry Campbell-Bannerman
H. H. Asquith
Preceded byThe Marquess Curzon of Kedleston
Succeeded byCharles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst
8th Governor General of Canada
In office
12 November 1898 – 10 December 1904
MonarchsVictoria
Edward VII
Prime MinisterCanadian
  • Wilfrid Laurier
British
  • The Marquess of Salisbury
  • Arthur Balfour
Preceded byThe Earl of Aberdeen
Succeeded byThe Earl Grey
Personal details
Born(1845-07-09)9 July 1845
Mayfair, London, England
Died1 March 1914(1914-03-01) (aged 68)
Minto, Scottish Borders
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1883)​
Children5, including Victor Gilbert Lariston Garnet Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 5th Earl of Minto
Parent(s)William Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 3rd Earl of Minto
Emma Hislop
Alma materTrinity College, Cambridge
Military service
Allegiance Vereinigtes Königreich
Branch/service British Army
Years of service1867–1885
RankLieutenant
Major
UnitScots Guards
1st Roxboroughshire Mounted Rifles
Battles/warsSecond Anglo-Afghan War
Anglo-Egyptian War
Mahdist War
North-West Rebellion
Garter-encircled Shield of Arms of Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto, KG, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC

Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto, KG, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC (/kɪˈnɪnmənd/;[1] 9 July 1845 – 1 March 1914), known as Viscount Melgund by courtesy from 1859 to 1891, was a British peer and politician who served as Governor General of Canada from 1898 to 1904, and Viceroy of India from 1905 to 1910.

Early life and career

Minto was born in London, the son of William Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 3rd Earl of Minto, and Emma, daughter of General Sir Thomas Hislop, 1st Baronet. After the death of his grandfather in 1859 he became known by the courtesy title of Viscount Melgund. After completing his education at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge,[2] he was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Scots Guards in 1867, but left in 1870. He joined the 1st Roxburghshire Mounted Rifle Volunteer Corps as a captain in 1872. In 1874, in the capacity of a newspaper correspondent, he witnessed the operations of the Carlists in Spain; he took service with the Turkish army in the war with Russia in 1877 and served under Lord Roberts in the second Afghan War (1878–1879), having narrowly escaped accompanying Sir Louis Cavagnari on his fatal mission to Kabul.[3]

He acted as private secretary to Lord Roberts during his mission to the Cape in 1881,[3] and was with the army occupying Egypt in 1882, thus furthering his military career and his experience of colonial administration. He was promoted Major in 1882. He was military secretary to the Marquess of Lansdowne during his governor-generalship of Canada from 1883 to 1885, and lived in Canada with his wife, Mary Caroline Grey, sister of Lord Grey, Governor General from 1904 to 1911, whom he had married in Britain on 28 July 1883. On this first Canadian visit, he was very active in raising a Canadian volunteer force to serve with the British Army in the Sudan Campaign of 1884. He served as Chief of Staff to General Middleton in the Riel Rebellion of 1885. When he was offered command of the North-West Mounted Police, he decided instead to pursue a political career in Britain. On his departure home to Britain, Canadian Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald apparently said to him, "I shall not live to see it, but some day Canada will welcome you back as Governor General".

His political aspirations were checked with his defeat in the 1886 general election, where he stood as the Conservative candidate for Hexham. He then applied himself with great enthusiasm to promoting a volunteer army in Britain. In 1888 he was promoted colonel on assuming command of the South of Scotland Brigade. He resigned his commission in 1889. He succeeded to his father's earldom in 1891, becoming The Earl of Minto.

Governor General of Canada

Macdonald's prediction came true when Minto was named Governor General of Canada in the summer of 1898, having campaigned for the post after he learned of the retirement of Lord Aberdeen.[3][4] Sir Wilfrid Laurier wrote that Lord Minto "took his duties to heart" and a review of his life reveals an energetic man who welcomed many challenges and responsibilities.

Lord Minto's term of office was marked by a period of strong nationalism which saw economic growth coupled with massive immigration to Canada. Relations with the United States were strained as border and fishing disputes continued to create problems between the two countries.

In September 1901, after Queen Victoria's death in January, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (later to become King George V and Queen Mary) visited Canada, and travelled with Lady Minto to western Canada and the Klondike. Following the tour, Minto recommended Thomas Shaughnessy, President of the Canadian Pacific Railway, to the government at Westminster, via the Secretary of State for the Colonies, for a knighthood, as recognition for his service to the Duke and Duchess of York. Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, to whom Shaughnessy was no friend, opposed the idea; but, Minto made the recommendation anyway, invoking the ire of Laurier and prompting the Prime Minister to draft a policy dictating that all Canadian nominees for honours must be approved by the prime minister before the list was sent to London.[5]

On 6 December 1901, Lord Minto held a skating party on the Ottawa River, when Andrew George Blair's daughter Bessie, and potential rescuer Henry Albert Harper both drowned.

Lord Minto, like his predecessors, travelled throughout the young country—he crossed Quebec, Ontario and western Canada, visiting former battlegrounds where he had served during the North-West Rebellion. He rode throughout western Canada with the North-West Mounted Police, and enjoyed the Quebec countryside on horseback.

Lord Minto's convictions about the importance of preserving Canadian heritage led to the creation of the National Archives of Canada.

The Earl of Minto as Governor General of Canada.

Lord and Lady Minto were sports enthusiasts and the Minto Skating Club, which they founded in 1903, has produced many famous ice skaters. They both excelled at the sport and hosted many lively skating parties during their time at Rideau Hall. In the summer, the Minto family loved to bicycle and play lacrosse. In 1901, Lord Minto donated the Minto Cup and appointed trustees to oversee its annual awarding to the champion senior men's lacrosse team of Canada (since 1937 the Cup has been awarded to the junior men's champions). He loved the outdoors, championed the conservation of natural resources and promoted the creation of national parks.

In education and health, Lord Minto encouraged a forward-looking approach. He believed that Canada's progress depended on the cultivation of patriotism and unity, and this conviction was reflected in his desire to see a wider history curriculum developed in Canadian schools. In response to the health crisis posed by tuberculosis, he helped establish the first anti-tuberculosis foundation in Canada.

Lord Minto also took great interest in the development of the Canadian military and emphasized the need for training and professional development. He was appointed honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of the Governor General's Foot Guards Regiment on 1 December 1898 and was subsequently appointed Honorary Colonel, a tradition that has continued with the post of Governors General to this day.

He was appointed a Privy Counsellor on 11 August 1902,[6] following an announcement of the King's intention to make this appointment in the 1902 Coronation Honours list published in June.[7]

On his trip back to Britain in 1904, having finished his term as Canada's Governor General, Lord Minto wrote in his journal "... so our life in Canada is over and it has been a great wrench parting from so many friends and leaving a country which I love, and which has been very full of interest to me".

Viceroy and Governor General of India

In 1905, on the resignation of Lord Curzon of Kedleston, Minto was appointed Viceroy and Governor-General of India, retiring in 1910.[3] In this, he followed in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, the first Lord Minto. In 1908 John Morley as Secretary of State for India wrote to Minto arguing that "Reforms may not save the Raj, but if they don't, nothing else will", Minto replied:

...when you say that "if reforms do not save the Raj nothing else will" I am afraid I must utterly disagree. The Raj will not disappear in India as long as the British race remains what it is, because we shall fight for the Raj as hard as we have ever fought, if it comes to fighting, and we shall win as we have always won.[8]

The reforms were called usually by the name "Morley–Minto Reforms" because of both John Morley and Lord Minto worked together to draw these reforms. They were passed by the British parliament in 1909 as the Indian Councils Act.

On 15 November 1909, two bombs were hurled at Lord Minto and his wife near Raipur Gate of Ahmedabad which did not hurt them.[9][10]

He was succeeded by Lord Hardinge of Penshurst.

For his lifetime of service, he was made a Knight Companion of the Garter.

Marriage

He married, on 28 July 1883, Lady Mary Caroline Grey, daughter of Charles Grey and Caroline Eliza Farquhar. She was the sister of Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey, Sybil Beauclerk, Duchess of St Albans, Louisa McDonnell, Countess of Antrim and Lady Victoria Dawnay. They had five children:

Legacy

Lord Melgund in 1885, as Middleton's chief of staff

The Earl of Minto's popularity in Canada outlived him. In addition to a Minto Place in Rockcliffe, Ottawa and Minto Street in Vancouver and the SS Minto, a famous steamer on the Arrow Lakes, the gold-mining company town of Minto City in the Bridge River Country, established 1936, was named in honour of the Earl. Also named for the Earl was Mount Minto in the Atlin District of far northern British Columbia, the town of Minto, Ontario. In addition, Minto, New Brunswick was renamed in memory of him. The Earl of Minto and Lady Minto appeared on the obverse of the Canadian four-dollar bill in the 1900 and 1902 versions of this denomination. Indirectly, the town of Minto, North Dakota in the United States is named for Minto, Ontario, whence its settlers came.[11]

Minto Park in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India, commemorates him. The school from which Aligarh Muslim University evolved was named behind him as Minto Circle after his generous funding for the construction of the new school buildings.

Minto Road, an area where most of the ministers of Bangladesh government have their official residence, is named after Lord Minto.

Minto Hospital and Minto Park (now officially renamed but popularly still known as such) in Lahore were also named after him.

Minto Ophthalmic Hospital[12] in Bangalore is also named after him. It is the oldest eye hospitals in India and one of the largest and busiest eye hospitals in the country.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Pointon, G. E. (1983). BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 137. ISBN 0-19-282745-6.
  2. ^ "Melgund, Gilbert John Murray Kynynmond Elliot (Viscount) (MLGT863GJ)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  3. ^ a b c d  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Minto, Earls of". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 564.
  4. ^ Miller, Carman; Woods, Philip (2004). "Kynynmound, Gilbert John Elliot Murray, fourth earl of Minto (1845–1914), governor-general of Canada and viceroy of India". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/33001. ISBN 9780198614128. Retrieved 24 April 2021. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  5. ^ McCreery, Christopher (2005). The Canadian Honours System. Toronto: Dundurn Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-55002-554-5.
  6. ^ "No. 27464". The London Gazette. 12 August 1902. p. 5173.
  7. ^ "The Coronation Honours". The Times. No. 36804. London. 26 June 1902. p. 5.
  8. ^ Nicholas Mansergh, The Commonwealth Experience (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1969), p. 13.
  9. ^ "Vile Attack on Lord and Lady Minto". No. 14216. Evening Star. 16 November 1909. p. 6. Retrieved 28 August 2023 – via Papers Past.
  10. ^ "Bombs Are Thrown at Viceroy of India – Persistent Attempts to Blow Up Lord Minto, Driving with Wife at Ahmedabad. Two Bombs Intercepted – They Fail to Explode, but Another Goes Off a Short Distance Away, Severing a Man's Hand". The New York Times. 15 November 1909. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  11. ^ Federal Writers' Project (1938). North Dakota, a Guide to the Northern Prairie State. WPA. p. 189. ISBN 978-1-62376-033-5.
  12. ^ 7

References

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Government offices
Preceded by Governor General of Canada
1898–1904 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Viceroy of India
1905–1910 		Succeeded by
Academic offices
Preceded by Rector of the University of Edinburgh
1911–1914 		Succeeded by
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Earl of Minto
1891–1914 		Succeeded by
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