George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland
George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland , GCB ( August 25, 1784 - January 1, 1849 ), was a British politician and Governor General of India .
origin
Eden was the son of diplomat William Eden , who was raised to Baron Auckland in 1789 . Since his older brother drowned in the Thames in 1810 , he inherited his father's title when his father died in 1814. Travel writer Emily Eden was his sister.
Diplomat Morton Eden, 1st Baron Henley and Sir Robert Eden, 1st Baronet , the last British governor of Maryland , were his uncles.
Life
After visiting the Christ Church College at Oxford University Eden was in 1809 as a barrister admitted. The following year he was elected to the House of Commons for Woodstock . When he inherited the barony , he moved to the House of Lords .
In 1830, Eden became chairman of the Board of Trade and head of the Royal Mint . In 1834 and 1835 he was First Lord of the Admiralty for a few months .
Last year he was appointed Governor General of India. His work initially focused on improving the Indian school system and broadening the subcontinent's industrial base.
Since 1838, however, the unrest in Afghanistan and the conflict with Russia in the Great Game intensified . In this situation, Auckland wrote a sharp letter to Dost Mohammed , the ruler of Afghanistan, in which he asked him to give up his claims on Peshawar as well as his rapprochement with Russia. This made the situation even worse. British troops landed in the Persian Gulf . The following year, the First Anglo-Afghan War broke out after Eden declared the Afghan ruler Dost Mohammed deposed. After the initial successes, Eden was elevated to the Earl of Auckland . However, the campaign ended in disaster. In 1842, Eden passed the post of Governor General to Edward Law, 2nd Baron Ellenborough , and returned to Great Britain a year later.
There he was again First Lord of the Admiralty from 1846 until his death.
family
Eden wasn't married and had no children. The title of Earl of Auckland therefore expired on his death, while the dignity of Baron Auckland passed to his younger brother.
The cities of Auckland in New Zealand and Eden in New South Wales , Australia , as well as the volcano Mount Eden on the North Island of New Zealand were named after him.
literature
- Auckland, George Eden . In: Encyclopædia Britannica . 11th edition. tape 2 : Andros - Austria . London 1910, p. 893 (English, full text [ Wikisource ]).
predecessor | Office | successor |
---|---|---|
New title created |
Earl of Auckland 1839-1849 |
Title expired |
William Eden |
Baron Auckland 1814-1849 |
Robert John Eden |
James Graham |
First Lord of the Admiralty 1834 |
Thomas de Gray |
Thomas de Gray | First Lord of the Admiralty 1835 |
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound |
Edward Law | First Lord of the Admiralty 1846–1849 |
Francis Baring |
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Eden, George, 1st Earl of Auckland |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Eden, George, 2nd Baron Auckland |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British politician and Viceroy of India (1835–1842) |
DATE OF BIRTH | August 25, 1784 |
DATE OF DEATH | January 1, 1849 |