George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland

"George Eden" redirects here. For other uses, see George Eden (disambiguation).

His Excellency The Right Honourable The Earl of Auckland GCB PC
Governor-General of India
In office 4 March 1836 – 28 February 1842
Monarch	William IV Victoria
Preceded by	Sir Charles Metcalfe, Bt As Acting Governor-General
Succeeded by	The Lord Ellenborough
President of the Board of Trade
In office 22 November 1830 – 5 June 1834
Monarch	William IV
Prime Minister	The Earl Grey
Preceded by	John Charles Herries
Succeeded by	Charles Poulett Thomson
Personal details
Born	25 August 1784 (1784-08-25) Beckenham, Kent, England
Died	1 January 1849 (1849-02) Hampshire, England
Nationality	British
Political party	Whig
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford
Profession	Lawyer, Politician

George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland, GCB, PC (25 August 1784 – 1 January 1849) was an English Whig politician and colonial administrator. He was thrice First Lord of the Admiralty and also served as Governor-General of India between 1836 and 1842.

Background and education

Born in Beckenham, Kent, Auckland was the second son of William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland, and Eleanor, daughter of Sir Gilbert Elliot, 3rd Baronet. His sister was the traveller and author Emily Eden, who would visit India for long periods and write about her experiences. He was educated at Eton, and Christ Church, Oxford, and was called to the Bar, Lincoln's Inn, in 1809. He became heir apparent to the barony after his elder brother William Eden drowned in the Thames in 1810.

Political career, 1810–1836

Auckland was returned to Parliament for Woodstock in 1810 (succeeding his elder brother, William), a seat he held until 1812, and again between 1813 and 1814. The latter year he succeeded his father in the barony and took his seat in the House of Lords, supporting the reform party. In 1830 he became President of the Board of Trade and Master of the Mint under Lord Grey.

He was First Lord of the Admiralty under Grey and then Lord Melbourne in 1834 and again under Melbourne in 1835. He gave a commission to William Hobson to sail for the East Indies, which Hobson ultimately rewarded in the naming of his new town and future New Zealand capital city of Auckland in 1840. Mount Eden in Auckland, the town of Eden, New South Wales and Auckland County, New South Wales were also named after him.

Governor-General of India, 1836–1842

In 1836 Lord Auckland was appointed of Governor-General of India. His private secretary was John Russell Colvin, who rose to be lieutenant-governor of the North-West Provinces and Auckland Colvin named his son after him. As a legislator he dedicated himself especially to the improvement of native schools and the expansion of the commercial industry of India.

But complications in Afghanistan interrupted this work in 1838. Lord Auckland decided on war, and on 1 October 1838 in Simla published the Simla Manifesto dethroning Dost Mahommed Khan. After successful early operations he was created Baron Eden, of Norwood in the County of Surrey, and Earl of Auckland. However the Afghan campaign ultimately ended in disaster (see Dost Mohammad and the British in Afghanistan for details of the first Anglo-Afghan war). He handed over the governor-generalship to Lord Ellenborough and returned to England the following year.

Political career, 1842–1849

In 1846 he again became First Lord of the Admiralty, this time under Lord John Russell. He held this office until his death three years later.

Personal life

Lord Auckland died on New Year's Day 1849, aged 64. He was unmarried and on his death the earldom became extinct, while he was succeeded in the barony by his younger brother, Robert.

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: 

Further reading

• (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

External links

• Archival material relating to George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland listed at the UK National Archives

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Sir Henry Dashwood, Bt Hon. William Eden	Member of Parliament for Woodstock 1810–1812 With: Sir Henry Dashwood, Bt	Succeeded by Sir Henry Dashwood, Bt William Thornton
Preceded by Sir Henry Dashwood, Bt William Thornton	Member of Parliament for Woodstock 1813–1814 With: Sir Henry Dashwood, Bt	Succeeded by Sir Henry Dashwood, Bt William Thornton
Political offices
Preceded by John Charles Herries	President of the Board of Trade 1830–1834	Succeeded by Charles Poulett Thomson
Preceded by John Charles Herries	Master of the Mint 1830–1834	Succeeded by Hon. James Abercromby
Preceded by The Lord Grenville	Auditor of the Exchequer 1834	Office abolished
Preceded by Sir James Graham, Bt	First Lord of the Admiralty 1834	Succeeded by The Earl de Grey
Preceded by The Earl de Grey	First Lord of the Admiralty 1835	Succeeded by The Earl of Minto
Preceded by The Earl of Haddington	First Lord of the Admiralty 1846–1849	Succeeded by Sir Francis Baring, Bt
Government offices
Preceded by Sir Charles Metcalfe, Bt (acting)	Governor-General of India 1836–1842	Succeeded by The Lord Ellenborough
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Earl of Auckland 1839–1849	Extinct
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by William Eden	Baron Auckland 1814–1849	Succeeded by Robert John Eden
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by William Eden	Baron Auckland 1814–1849	Succeeded by Robert John Eden