Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin

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 (2012-01-20T18:33:32) Montreal, Canada East, Province of Canada
Died	18 January 1917(1917-01-18) (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.

Background and education

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.^{[citation needed]}

Political career

Elgin entered politics as a Liberal, serving as Treasurer of the Household and as First Commissioner of Works under William Ewart Gladstone in 1886.

Viceroy of India

Lord Elgin.

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.

Return to England

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.^{[citation needed]}

Family

Lord Elgin married, firstly, Lady Constance Mary, daughter of James Carnegie, 9th Earl of Southesk, in 1876. They had six sons and five daughters:

• Lady Elizabeth Mary Bruce (11 September 1877-13 May 1944)
• Lady Christina Augusta Bruce (25 January 1879-12 September 1940)
• Lady Constance Veronica Bruce (24 February 1880-7 July 1969)
• Edward James Bruce, 10th Earl of Elgin, 14th Earl of Kincardine (9 June 1881–27 November 1968)
• Hon. Robert Bruce (18 November 1882-31 October 1959)
• Hon. Alexander Bruce (29 July 1884-October 1917)
• Lady Marjorie Bruce (12 December 1885-23 May 1901)
• Colonel Hon. David Bruce (11 June 1888-26 August 1964)
• Lady Rachel Catherine Bruce (23 February 1890-17 December 1964)
• Captain Hon. John Bernard Bruce (9 April 1892-3 August 1971)
• Hon. Victor Alexander Bruce (13 February 1897-19 December 1930)

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:

• Hon. Bernard Bruce (12 June 1917-1983)

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.

See also

The Earl of Elgin at his private estate in Scotland, 1889.

• Famine in India

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl of Elgin

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