View source for George Eden 1st Earl of Auckland

{{redirect|George Eden}}
{{short description|English politician and colonial administrator}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[Excellency|His Excellency]] [[The Right Honourable]]
| name = The Earl of Auckland
| honorific-suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|GCB|PC|sep=|size=100}}
| image = George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland.png
| imagesize = 225px
| order1 = [[Governor-General of India]]
| term_start1 = 4 March 1836
| term_end1 = 28 February 1842
| monarch1 = [[William IV of the United Kingdom|William IV]]<br />[[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Victoria]]
| predecessor1 = [[Charles Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe|Sir Charles Metcalfe, Bt]]<br /><small>As Acting Governor-General</small>
| successor1 = [[Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough|The Lord Ellenborough]]
| order2 = [[President of the Board of Trade]]
| term_start2 = 22 November 1830
| term_end2 = 5 June 1834
| monarch2 = [[William IV of the United Kingdom|William IV]]
| primeminister2 = [[Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey|The Earl Grey]]
| predecessor2 = [[John Charles Herries]]
| successor2 = [[Charles Poulett Thomson, 1st Baron Sydenham|Charles Poulett Thomson]]
| birth_date = {{birth-date|25 August 1784}}
| birth_place = [[Beckenham]], [[Kent]], [[England]]
| death_date = {{death-date and age|1 January 1849|25 August 1784}}
| death_place = [[Hampshire]], [[England]]
| nationality = [[British people|British]]
| party = [[Whig (British political faction)|Whig]]
| alma_mater = [[Christ Church, Oxford]]
| spouse = 
| profession = [[Lawyer]], [[Politician]]
}}
'''George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland''', {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|GCB|PC|sep=,|size=100}} (25 August 1784&nbsp;– 1 January 1849) was an [[English people|English]] [[Whig (British political faction)|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, of Minto|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 College|Eton]], and [[Christ Church, Oxford]], and was [[Call to the Bar|called to the Bar]], [[Lincoln's Inn]], in 1809. He became heir apparent to the barony after his elder brother [[William Frederick Elliot Eden|William Eden]] drowned in the [[River Thames|Thames]] in 1810.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

==Political career, 1810–1836==
Auckland was returned to Parliament for [[Woodstock (UK Parliament constituency)|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 [[Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey|Lord Grey]], and serving as one of the deputy Speakers of the House of Lords.

He was [[First Lord of the Admiralty]] under Grey and then [[William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne|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 newly created city of [[Auckland]], New Zealand in 1840.<ref>{{DNZB|last=Simpson|first=K. A.|id=1h29|title=Hobson, William|access-date=12 July 2015}}</ref> [[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 named his son [[Auckland Colvin]] 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 [[Shimla|Simla]] published the [[Chapslee Estate#First Anglo-Afghan War|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 [[First Anglo-Afghan War|Afghan campaign]] ultimately ended in disaster. He handed over the governor-generalship to [[Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough|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 [[John Russell, 1st Earl Russell|Lord John Russell]]. In the words of a modern historian: "[M]inisterial talent in the House of Lords was not so plentiful as to disqualify the author of one of the worst disasters in British military history".<ref>{{cite book|first=Ferdinand|last=Mount|page=389|title=The Tears of the Rajas: Mutiny, Money and Marriage in India, 1805-1905|date=7 June 2016|isbn=978-1-4711-2946-9}}</ref> He held this office until his death three years later.

==Personal life and character==
Lord Auckland died on [[New Year's Day]] 1849, following what was described as a fit.<ref>letter from his Admiralty assistant John Dunds</ref> He was aged 64. Lord Auckland was unmarried and on his death the earldom became extinct, while he was succeeded in the barony by his younger brother, [[Robert Eden, 3rd Baron Auckland|Robert]].{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

In a recently published (2013) history Lord Auckland is described as "a clever and capable but somewhat complacent and detached Whig nobleman". In appearance he was slim and younger looking than his years. As a respected First Lord of the Admiralty Lord Auckland depended heavily on competent staff but his indecisive personality and indifference to Indian history and culture led to disastrous decisions being made during his term as Governor-General there.<ref>{{cite book|first=William|last=Dalrymple|page=109|title=Return of a King|isbn=978-1-4088-3159-5}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Auckland, George Eden|volume=2|page=893}}

==Further reading==
*{{Cite ODNB|id=8451|title=Eden, George}}

==External links==
*{{UK National Archives ID}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{succession box
 | title  = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Woodstock (UK Parliament constituency)|Woodstock]]
 | years  = 1810–1812
 | with   = [[Sir Henry Dashwood, 3rd Baronet|Sir Henry Dashwood, Bt]]
 | before = [[Sir Henry Dashwood, 3rd Baronet|Sir Henry Dashwood, Bt]]<br />[[William Eden (MP)|Hon. William Eden]]
 | after  = [[Sir Henry Dashwood, 3rd Baronet|Sir Henry Dashwood, Bt]]<br />[[William Thornton (1763–1841)|William Thornton]]
}}
{{succession box
 | title  = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Woodstock (UK Parliament constituency)|Woodstock]]
 | years  = 1813–1814
 | with   = [[Sir Henry Dashwood, 3rd Baronet|Sir Henry Dashwood, Bt]]
 | before = [[Sir Henry Dashwood, 3rd Baronet|Sir Henry Dashwood, Bt]]<br />[[William Thornton (1763–1841)|William Thornton]]
 | after  = [[Sir Henry Dashwood, 3rd Baronet|Sir Henry Dashwood, Bt]]<br />[[William Thornton (1763–1841)|William Thornton]]
}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box | before=[[John Charles Herries]] | title=[[President of the Board of Trade]] | years= 1830–1834 | after=[[Charles Poulett Thomson, 1st Baron Sydenham|Charles Poulett Thomson]]}}
{{succession box | before=[[John Charles Herries]] | title=[[Master of the Mint]] | years= 1830–1834 | after=[[James Abercromby, 1st Baron Dunfermline|Hon. James Abercromby]]}}
{{s-bef | before=[[William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville|The Lord Grenville]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Auditor of the Exchequer]] | years=1834}}
{{s-non | reason=Office abolished}}
{{succession box | before=[[Sir James Graham, 2nd Baronet|Sir James Graham, Bt]] | title=[[First Lord of the Admiralty]] | years=1834 | after=[[Thomas Robinson, 2nd Earl de Grey|The Earl de Grey]]}}
{{succession box | before=[[Thomas Robinson, 2nd Earl de Grey|The Earl de Grey]] | title=[[First Lord of the Admiralty]] | years=1835 | after=[[Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 2nd Earl of Minto|The Earl of Minto]]}}
{{succession box | before=[[Thomas Hamilton, 9th Earl of Haddington|The Earl of Haddington]] | title=[[First Lord of the Admiralty]] | years=1846–1849 | after=[[Francis Baring, 1st Baron Northbrook|Sir Francis Baring, Bt]]}}
{{s-gov}}
{{succession box | before=[[Charles Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe|Sir Charles Metcalfe, Bt]] (acting) | title=[[Governor-General of India]] | years=1836–1842 | after=[[Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough|The Lord Ellenborough]]}}
{{s-reg|uk}}
{{s-new|creation}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Baron Auckland|Earl of Auckland]] | years=1839–1849 }}
{{s-non|reason=Extinct}}
{{s-reg|ie}}
{{succession box | before=[[William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland|William Eden]] | title=[[Baron Auckland]] | after=[[Robert Eden, 3rd Baron Auckland|Robert John Eden]] | years=1814–1849 }}
{{s-reg|gb}}
{{succession box | before=[[William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland|William Eden]] | title=[[Baron Auckland]] | after=[[Robert Eden, 3rd Baron Auckland|Robert John Eden]] | years=1814–1849 }}
{{s-end}}
{{Viceroys of India}}
{{First Lords of the Admiralty}}
{{Masters of the Mint}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Auckland, George Eden, 1st Earl Of}}
[[Category:1784 births]]
[[Category:1849 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford]]
[[Category:Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Eden family|George Eden]]
[[Category:Governors-General of India]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Lords of the Admiralty]]
[[Category:Masters of the Mint]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1807–1812]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1812–1818]]
[[Category:UK MPs who inherited peerages]]
[[Category:UK MPs who were granted peerages]]
[[Category:Whig (British political party) MPs]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the First Anglo-Afghan War]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Royal Asiatic Society]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Younger sons of barons]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Board of Trade]]
[[Category:People educated at Eton College]]
[[Category:Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria]]