Victor Alexander Bruce


(9th Earl of Elgin; 13th Earl of Kincardine)

1849 - 1917

Statesman and Viceroy of India. The son of James Bruce, the 8th Earl of Elgin (1811-63), Bruce was born in Canada, during this father's tenure as Governor-General. He was educated at Glenalmond College, Eton and Balliol College (Oxford). He served as Minister of Works in William Gladstone's Liberal administration of 1866.

Bruce was known as a modest and retiring man. However, he was persuaded by his friend the Foreign Secretary, Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery (1847 - 1929) to take the position of Viceroy of India. His father had held this post briefly 30 years previously. Bruce served between 1894-99, a particularly troubled period in India's history, but his tenure was not seen as successful.

He served as Chairman of a Royal Commission which investigated the conduct of the Boer War (1902-03). He went on to become Colonial Secretary (1905-8) in the government of Henry Campbell-Bannerman (1836 - 1908) and was partly responsible for the much praised settlement with the Boers in South Africa, although his cautious approach was over-shadowed by energetic and forceful speeches made by his ambitious young under-secretary Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965).

Bruce was honoured with the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh in 1893 and was appointed a Knight of the Garter in 1899. He died in Dunfermline.


Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry arrow

If you have found this information useful please consider making
a donation to help maintain and improve this resource. More info...

By using our site you agree to accept cookies, which help us serve you better