Thomas Dundas (Governor)
Thomas Dundas of Fingask and Carronhall ( June 13, 1750 , † June 3, 1794 ) was a Scottish officer and politician.
Life
Thomas Dundas was born the fifth child and first son of Thomas Dundas of Fingask and Carronhall and his wife Janet . His younger brother was Charles Dundas, 1st Baron Amesbury . He trained at Edinburgh High School and then embarked on a military career. On January 9, 1784, Dundas married Eleanora Elizabeth Home , with whom he fathered three offspring, Elizabeth , Janet (* 1787) and Thomas (* around 1792).
Military background
In 1769 Dundas was a captain in the 63rd Infantry Regiment. Seven years later he was promoted to major and the following year to lieutenant colonel in the 80th Infantry Regiment. In 1779 Dundas' regiment was transferred to South Carolina and participated in the American War of Independence . Dundas participated in the Siege of Charleston (1780) and was chosen to be one of the two British negotiators who negotiated the British surrender after the Battle of Yorktown (1781).
After returning to his homeland in the meantime, Dundas was offered the job of a commissioner in Nova Scotia in June 1783 , which he accepted. Two years later he arrived in Halifax and took up his duties to review claims by the loyalists. In 1782 Dundas was promoted to colonel . For a short period he was governor of Guernsey in 1793 and was promoted to major general . Dundas set out for the Caribbean and was involved in the conquests of Martinique , St. Lucia and Guadeloupe . In May 1794 he was appointed governor of Guadeloupe. He soon fell ill with yellow fever and died on June 3, 1794 on the island.
Political career
Thomas Dundas' uncle Lawrence Dundas, 1st Baronet , acquired the Orkney and Shetland archipelagos in 1766 . In the general election in 1768, he supported his brother Thomas Dundas, the father of the person described here, who subsequently moved into the British House of Commons for the constituency of Orkney and Shetland . After he assumed a high police office in December 1770, he gave back his mandate. His son Thomas took over the mandate as his successor on January 31, 1771. Due to his military obligations, Dundas took little part in political life. For the elections in 1780, Robert Baikie was appointed instead , who represented the constituency in the lower house for a few months. In February of the following year, Baikie was replaced by Thomas Dundas' brother Charles. In 1784 Thomas Dundas was re-elected to represent Orkney and Shetland. He represented the constituency until 1790 and then left the House of Commons for good. He was defeated in the elections by his successor, John Balfour .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Information on Thomas Dundas of Fingask and Carronhall
- ↑ a b Maj. Gen. Thomas Dundas of Fingask on thepeerage.com , accessed August 20, 2015.
- ↑ Information on Lawrence Dundas
- ↑ Information on Thomas Dundas
- ↑ Orkney and Shetland Constituency, 1754–1790
- ↑ Orkney and Shetland Constituency, 1790–1820
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Dundas, Thomas |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Scottish officer and politician, member of the House of Commons |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 13, 1750 |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 3, 1794 |