Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto
Encyclopedia
Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto (9 July 1845 1 March 1914) was a British nobleman and politician who served as Governor General of Canada
, the eighth since Canadian Confederation
, and as Viceroy and Governor-General of India
, the country's 17th.
, and Emma, daughter of General Sir Thomas Hislop, 1st Baronet
. After completing his education at Eton College
and Trinity College, Cambridge
, he was commissioned 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.
He acted as private secretary to Lord Roberts
during his mission to the Cape
in 1881, 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 Lord Lansdowne during Lansdowne's 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. 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.
dom in 1891, Macdonald's prediction came true when Lord Minto was named Governor General of Canada in the summer of 1898. 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
. 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.
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.
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".
, retiring in 1910. In this, he followed in the footsteps of 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:
For his lifetime of service, was made a Knight of the Garter.
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
, est. 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
as well as the town of Minto, North Dakota
in the United States. In addition, Minto, New Brunswick
was renamed in memory of him. 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.
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
, the eighth since Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
, and as Viceroy and Governor-General of India
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William...
, the country's 17th.
Early life and career
Minto was born in London, the son of William Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 3rd Earl of MintoWilliam Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 3rd Earl of Minto
William Hugh Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 3rd Earl of Minto , was a British Whig politician. He was the eldest son of the second earl.From 1814 until his accession in 1859, he was styled Viscount Melgund....
, and Emma, daughter of General Sir Thomas Hislop, 1st Baronet
Sir Thomas Hislop, 1st Baronet
Sir Thomas Hislop, 1st Baronet, GCB was a senior British Army officer of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Serving exclusively in colonial campaigns, Hislop fought in the West Indies between 1796 and 1810 and subsequently in India, where he was a senior commander during the Third...
. After completing his education at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, he was commissioned Lieutenant in the Scots Guards
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
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
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
army in the war with Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 1877 and served under Lord Roberts in the second Afghan War
Second Anglo-Afghan War
The Second Anglo-Afghan War was fought between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the nation was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty, the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan. This was the second time British India invaded Afghanistan. The war ended in a manner...
(1878–1879), having narrowly escaped accompanying Sir Louis Cavagnari on his fatal mission to Kabul.
He acted as private secretary to Lord Roberts
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
during his mission to the Cape
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
in 1881, and was with the army occupying Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in 1882, thus furthering his military career and his experience of colonial administration. He was promoted Major in 1882. He was military secretary to Lord Lansdowne during Lansdowne's governor-generalship of Canada from 1883 to 1885, and lived in Canada with his wife, Mary Caroline Grey, sister of Lord Grey
Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey
Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey was a British nobleman and politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the ninth since Canadian Confederation....
, 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
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
Campaign of 1884. He served as Chief of Staff to General Middleton in the Riel Rebellion
North-West Rebellion
The North-West Rebellion of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel against the Dominion of Canada...
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
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
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. He then applied himself with great enthusiasm to promoting a volunteer army in Britain. In 1888 he was promoted Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
on assuming command of the South of Scotland Brigade. He resigned his commission in 1889.
Governor General of Canada
Having succeeded to the earlEarl
An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...
dom in 1891, Macdonald's prediction came true when Lord Minto was named Governor General of Canada in the summer of 1898. Sir Wilfrid Laurier
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911....
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
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
and Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
) visited Canada, and travelled with Lady Minto to western Canada and the Klondike
Klondike, Yukon
The Klondike is a region of the Yukon in northwest Canada, east of the Alaska border. It lies around the Klondike River, a small river that enters the Yukon from the east at Dawson....
. On 6 December 1901, Lord Minto held a skating party on the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
, when Andrew George Blair
Andrew George Blair
Andrew George Blair, PC, KC was a Canadian politician in New Brunswick, Canada.He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in 1878 after unsuccessful attempts in the previous two elections. Though Blair was a supporter of Sir John A...
's daughter Bessie, and potential rescuer Henry Albert Harper
Henry Albert Harper
A Canadian journalist and civil servant, Henry Albert Harper was best known as a friend of future Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, and is commemorated by a statue on Parliament Hill....
both drowned.
Lord Minto, like his predecessors, travelled throughout the young country – he crossed Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Ontario and western Canada, visiting former battlegrounds where he had served during the North-West Rebellion
North-West Rebellion
The North-West Rebellion of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel against the Dominion of Canada...
. 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.
Minto Skating Club
The Minto Skating Club is a competitive figure skating club in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, founded in 1904. The Club is a member of the Skate Canada figure skating organization in Canada, and was a founder of the predecessor organization to Skate Canada, the "Figure Skating Department" of the Amateur...
, which they founded in 1903, has produced many famous ice skaters
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
. They both excelled at the sport and hosted many lively skating parties during their time at Rideau Hall
Rideau Hall
Rideau Hall is, since 1867, the official residence in Ottawa of both the Canadian monarch and the Governor General of Canada. It stands in Canada's capital on a 0.36 km2 estate at 1 Sussex Drive, with the main building consisting of 170 rooms across 9,500 m2 , and 24 outbuildings around the...
. In the summer, the Minto family loved to bicycle and play lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
. In 1901, Lord Minto donated the Minto Cup
Minto Cup
The Minto Cup is awarded annually to the champion junior men's lacrosse team of Canada.It was donated in 1901 by the Governor-General, Lord Minto, and from 1901 until 1909 awarded to the senior men's champion of Canada...
and appointed trustees to oversee its annual awarding to the champion senior men's lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
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
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, 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.
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 of India
In 1905, on the resignation of Lord Curzon of Kedleston, Lord Minto was appointed Viceroy and Governor-General of IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, retiring in 1910. In this, he followed in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, the first Lord Minto. When John Morley
John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn
John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn OM, PC was a British Liberal statesman, writer and newspaper editor. Initially a journalist, he was elected a Member of Parliament in 1883...
as Secretary of State for India
Secretary of State for India
The Secretary of State for India, or India Secretary, was the British Cabinet minister responsible for the government of India and the political head of the India Office...
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.
For his lifetime of service, was made a Knight of the Garter.
Legacy
Arrow Lakes
The Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, Canada, divided into Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake, are widenings of the Columbia River. The lakes are situated between the Selkirk Mountains to the east and the Monashee Mountains to the west. Beachland is fairly rare, and is interspersed with rocky...
, the gold-mining company town of Minto City
Minto City, British Columbia
Minto City, often called just Minto, sometimes Minto Mines or Minto Mine, was a gold mining town in the Bridge River Valley of British Columbia from 1930 to 1936, located at the confluence of that river with Gun Creek, one of its larger tributaries...
in the Bridge River Country
Bridge River
The Bridge River is, or was, a major tributary of British Columbia's Fraser River, entering that stream about six miles upstream from the town of Lillooet.-Name:Its name in the Lillooet language is Xwisten , sometimes spelled Nxwisten or Nxo-isten)...
, est. 1936, was named in honour of the Earl. Also named for the Earl was Mount Minto
Mount Minto
Mount Minto is a mountain in the Atlin Country of far northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is located north of the town of Atlin. It lies on the western side of the northeast arm of Atlin Lake...
in the Atlin District of far northern British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
as well as the town of Minto, North Dakota
Minto, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 657 people, 269 households, and 185 families residing in the city. The population density was 458.9 people per square mile . There were 298 housing units at an average density of 208.2 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 96.35% White, 0.76%...
in the United States. In addition, Minto, New Brunswick
Minto, New Brunswick
Minto is a Canadian village straddling the border of Sunbury County and Queens County, New Brunswick. Located on the north shore of Grand Lake, approximately 50 kilometres northeast of Fredericton, its population meets the requirements for "town" status under the Municipalities Act of the...
was renamed in memory of him. Minto Park in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India, commemorates him. The school from which Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University ,is a residential academic university, established in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan as Mohammedan Angelo-Oriental College and later granted the status of Central University by an Act of the Indian Parliament in 1920...
evolved was named behind him as Minto Circle
Minto Circle
Minto Circle, officially Syedna Tahir Saifuddin High School , is a semi-residential high school under Aligarh Muslim University at Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. The school was established as "Mohammedan Anglo Oriental Collegiate School" by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in 1875, which later evolved as...
after his generous funding for the construction of the new school buildings.
Minto Road, an area where most of the ministers of Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
government have their official residence, is named after Lord Minto.
External links
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- Lord Minto, A Memoir (1924) at Project Gutenberg of Australia
- Lady Minto's Fete