Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff
Encyclopedia
Sir Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff GCSI
, CIE
, PC FRS (21 February 1829 – 12 January 1906), known as M. E. Grant Duff before 1887 and as Sir Mountstuart Grant Duff thereafter, was a Scottish
politician, administrator and author. He served as the Under-Secretary of State for India
from 1868 to 1874, Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies
from 1880 to 1881 and the Governor of Madras from 1881 to 1886.
Grant Duff was born in Eden, Aberdeenshire on 21 February 1829 to distinguished British historian James Grant Duff
. He had his education at Grange School
and Balliol College, Oxford
and graduated in law from the Inns of Court
. He practised and taught law for a short time before starting a political life and entering the House of Commons as the Liberal
Member of Parliament for Elgin Burghs.
Grant Duff abilities won him government positions and he served as Under-Secretary of State for India
, Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies
and Governor of Madras. On his return from Madras, he retired from politics and served in various art and scientific societies.
Grant Duff travelled extensively and wrote voluminously. His performance as a political and administration have received mixed reviews. He was made a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire
and a Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India
. He died on 12 January 1906 at the age of 76.
, a well known India
n official from Bombay Presidency
and British Resident at the princely state of Satara
and his wife Jane Catherine, daughter of Sir Whitelaw Ainslie
. He was named after Mountstuart Elphinstone
whom James Grant Duff regarded as his mentor. Grant Duff had his schooling at Edinburgh Academy
and Grange School
and at Balliol College, Oxford
from 1847 to 1850. Grant Duff completed his master's degree in 1853. During these years he experienced problems with his vision, and for the rest of his life he relied on the sight of others.
Grant Duff studied law at the Inns of Court
and passed with honours, appearing next to James Fitzjames Stephen
. He was called to the bar at Inner Temple
, London on 17 November 1854 and practised for sometime as a junior under William Ventris Field. During this time, Grant Duff lectured at the Working Men's College and wrote for the Saturday Review. Soon afterwards, Grant Duff entered politics and joined the Liberal Party.
, Sir Charles W. Dilke declined the offer and suggested to Prime Minister
William Ewart Gladstone
that Grant Duff be appointed in his stead. Gladstone refused but instead, appointed Grant Duff as the Under-Secretary of State for India
on 8 December 1868. Grant-Duff served as Under-Secretary of State from 1868 till 1874 when the Liberal Party government of Gladstone resigned. He worked well with the Secretary of State Argyll; their relationship was described by Duthie thus: ‘rather deliberately obedient to Argyll; and always in agreement with him on policy’. During Grant Duff's tenure, the Kuka insurrection broke out in India. The massacre of 50 rebelling Kukas sparked outrage in the British Parliament and Grant Duff was compelled to accept responsibility.
When Gladstone was voted back to power in 1880, Grant Duff was appointed Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies
. Grant Duff served till 26 June 1881, when he was appointed Governor of Madras. During this time, Grant Duff also served in Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council.
". The new promenade was opened to the public in 1884.
On the naming of the beach, Grant Duff explains in a letter:
Grant Duff's tenure was filled with a number of controversies and allegations of partisan behaviour and injustice. Grant Duff was sharply criticized for the way he handled the Chingleput Ryots' Case
and the arrests and trials following the Salem Riots of 1882
. The Hindu
accused Grant Duff of indulging in vindictive and vengeful behaviour. In one of the articles, he was criticized thus:
Grant Duff was also accused of deliberately nurturing a movement against Brahmins.
However, Louis Mallet
, the then Under-Secretary of State for India, was all praise for Grant Duff. On receipt of Grant Duff's last minute as Governor, Mallett said
W. S. Blunt, the British publicist, who visited Madras in November 1884, says of Grant Duff:
The Madras Mahajana Sabha
was established in 1884 with P. Rangaiah Naidu
as its President and R. Balaji Rao
as its Vice-President. To this day, this is considered to be one of the oldest Indian political organisations in the Madras Presidency
, notwithstanding the Madras Native Association which was a failure. Members of the Madras Mahajana Sabha played a pivotal role in corresponding with Indian associations in other provinces and forming the Indian National Congress
in 1885. The Indian National Congress held its first session at Bombay in December 1885, attended by 72 delegates including 22 from the Madras Presidency. Grant Duff was made a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire
in 1881 and a Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India
in March 1887. In July 1886, Gladstone tried to get a peerage
for Grant Duff but failed.
On an official visit to Rome
, a few years after the conclusion of his tenure, Grant Duff records that the Speaker of the Italian Parliament Biancheri inquired about the size of the province which Grant Duff had governed. On receiving the reply from Grant Duff that the province was 'larger than Italy, including all the Italian islands', Biancheri astonishedly asked "What an empire is that , in which such a country is only a province".
from 1866–72. He was member of the Athenaem, the Cosmopolitan Club
, Literary Society, Grillion's Club, Breakfast Club and served as the president of the Royal Geographical Society
from 1889 to 1892 and president of the Royal Historical Society
from 1892 to 1899. He was treasurer of the exclusive dining club known simply as The Club
from 1893. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1881, and was appointed a trustee of the British Museum
in 1903.
Grant Duff also served as Chairman of the Liberty and Property Defence League established to curb socialist tendencies in the Liberal Party.
, wife of the financier Frederick Huth Jackson, whilst their third son, Adrian Grant-Duff colonel of the Black Watch was killed at the First Battle of the Aisne
in September 1914. Adrian's daughter was Shiela Grant Duff
while his son, Neill, was himself shot down over France, in 1940, whilst with the RAF.
Grant Duff died in his home in Chelsea, London on January 1906, aged 76, and was buried in Elgin Cathedral, Scotland.
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
, CIE
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
, PC FRS (21 February 1829 – 12 January 1906), known as M. E. Grant Duff before 1887 and as Sir Mountstuart Grant Duff thereafter, was a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
politician, administrator and author. He served as the Under-Secretary of State for India
Under-Secretary of State for India
This is a list of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State and Permanent Under-Secretaries of State at the India Office during the period of British rule between 1866 and 1948, and for Burma from 1858-1948....
from 1868 to 1874, Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies was a junior Ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the Secretary of State for the Colonies and, from 1948, also to a Minister of State....
from 1880 to 1881 and the Governor of Madras from 1881 to 1886.
Grant Duff was born in Eden, Aberdeenshire on 21 February 1829 to distinguished British historian James Grant Duff
James Grant Duff
James Grant Duff was a British Soldier, and historian.-Early Life:He was the eldest son of John Grant of Kincardine O'Neil and Margaret Miln Duff of Eden, who died 20 August 1824, was born in the town of Banff on 8 July 1789...
. He had his education at Grange School
Grange School
Grange School may refer to:* Grange Church of England Primary School, Grange-over-Sands* Grange Community Junior School, Farnborough* Grange Community Primary School, Felixstowe* Grange Community Primary School, Winsford...
and Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
and graduated in law from the Inns of Court
Inns of Court
The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. All such barristers must belong to one such association. They have supervisory and disciplinary functions over their members. The Inns also provide libraries, dining facilities and professional...
. He practised and taught law for a short time before starting a political life and entering the House of Commons as the Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
Member of Parliament for Elgin Burghs.
Grant Duff abilities won him government positions and he served as Under-Secretary of State for India
Under-Secretary of State for India
This is a list of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State and Permanent Under-Secretaries of State at the India Office during the period of British rule between 1866 and 1948, and for Burma from 1858-1948....
, Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies was a junior Ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the Secretary of State for the Colonies and, from 1948, also to a Minister of State....
and Governor of Madras. On his return from Madras, he retired from politics and served in various art and scientific societies.
Grant Duff travelled extensively and wrote voluminously. His performance as a political and administration have received mixed reviews. He was made a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
and a Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
. He died on 12 January 1906 at the age of 76.
Early life and education
Grant Duff was born in Eden, Aberdeenshire on 21 February 1829, the elder son of James Grant DuffJames Grant Duff
James Grant Duff was a British Soldier, and historian.-Early Life:He was the eldest son of John Grant of Kincardine O'Neil and Margaret Miln Duff of Eden, who died 20 August 1824, was born in the town of Banff on 8 July 1789...
, a well known India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n official from Bombay Presidency
Bombay Presidency
The Bombay Presidency was a province of British India. It was established in the 17th century as a trading post for the English East India Company, but later grew to encompass much of western and central India, as well as parts of post-partition Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula.At its greatest...
and British Resident at the princely state of Satara
Satara
Satara is a city located in the Satara District of Maharashtra state of India. The town is 2320 ft. above sea-level, near the confluence of the Krishna and its tributary river Venna. The city was the capital of the Maratha empire in the 17th century, hence one of the the historical cities of...
and his wife Jane Catherine, daughter of Sir Whitelaw Ainslie
Whitelaw Ainslie
Whitelaw Ainslie was a British surgeon and writer on materia medica, best known for his work in India.-Biography:He become assistant surgeon in the East India Company's service on 17 June 1788, and on his arrival in India was appointed garrison surgeon of Chingleput...
. He was named after Mountstuart Elphinstone
Mountstuart Elphinstone
Mountstuart Elphinstone was a Scottish statesman and historian, associated with the government of British India. He later became the Governor of Bombay where he is credited with the opening of several educational institutions accessible to the Indian population...
whom James Grant Duff regarded as his mentor. Grant Duff had his schooling at Edinburgh Academy
Edinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is an independent school which was opened in 1824. The original building, in Henderson Row on the northern fringe of the New Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, is now part of the Senior School...
and Grange School
Grange School
Grange School may refer to:* Grange Church of England Primary School, Grange-over-Sands* Grange Community Junior School, Farnborough* Grange Community Primary School, Felixstowe* Grange Community Primary School, Winsford...
and at Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
from 1847 to 1850. Grant Duff completed his master's degree in 1853. During these years he experienced problems with his vision, and for the rest of his life he relied on the sight of others.
Grant Duff studied law at the Inns of Court
Inns of Court
The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. All such barristers must belong to one such association. They have supervisory and disciplinary functions over their members. The Inns also provide libraries, dining facilities and professional...
and passed with honours, appearing next to James Fitzjames Stephen
James Fitzjames Stephen
Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, 1st Baronet was an English lawyer, judge and writer. He was created 1st Baronet Stephen by Queen Victoria.-Early life:...
. He was called to the bar at Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
, London on 17 November 1854 and practised for sometime as a junior under William Ventris Field. During this time, Grant Duff lectured at the Working Men's College and wrote for the Saturday Review. Soon afterwards, Grant Duff entered politics and joined the Liberal Party.
Political career
Grant Duff participated in the 1857 elections as the Liberal Party's candidate from Elgin Burghs and was elected to the House of Commons. He served as a member of the House of Commons from 1857 to 1881. As a parliamentarian, he took up the cause of education in his constituency and gave regular annual speeches on foreign policy. In order to make these speeches as informative and realistic, he, himself, took trips abroad to study the situation in foreign countries.Government positions
Grant Duff's proficiency and expertise on foreign issues won him positions in the foreign ministry. When offered to be made Under-Secretary of State for Foreign AffairsUnder-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
|The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs has been a junior position in the British government since 1782, subordinate to both the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and since 1945 also to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs...
, Sir Charles W. Dilke declined the offer and suggested to Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
that Grant Duff be appointed in his stead. Gladstone refused but instead, appointed Grant Duff as the Under-Secretary of State for India
Under-Secretary of State for India
This is a list of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State and Permanent Under-Secretaries of State at the India Office during the period of British rule between 1866 and 1948, and for Burma from 1858-1948....
on 8 December 1868. Grant-Duff served as Under-Secretary of State from 1868 till 1874 when the Liberal Party government of Gladstone resigned. He worked well with the Secretary of State Argyll; their relationship was described by Duthie thus: ‘rather deliberately obedient to Argyll; and always in agreement with him on policy’. During Grant Duff's tenure, the Kuka insurrection broke out in India. The massacre of 50 rebelling Kukas sparked outrage in the British Parliament and Grant Duff was compelled to accept responsibility.
When Gladstone was voted back to power in 1880, Grant Duff was appointed Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies was a junior Ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the Secretary of State for the Colonies and, from 1948, also to a Minister of State....
. Grant Duff served till 26 June 1881, when he was appointed Governor of Madras. During this time, Grant Duff also served in Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council.
Governor of Madras
Grant Duff was captivated by the beach at Madras on an earlier visit to the city. As a result when he became Governor in 1881, he immediately commenced the construction of a promenade along the beach. The beach was extensively modified and layered with soft sand and was named "The MarinaMarina Beach
Marina Beach is a beach in the city of Chennai , India, along the Bay of Bengal, part of the Indian Ocean. The beach runs from near Fort St. George in the north to Besant Nagar in the south, a distance of , making it the longest urban beach in the country and the world's second longest...
". The new promenade was opened to the public in 1884.
On the naming of the beach, Grant Duff explains in a letter:
Grant Duff's tenure was filled with a number of controversies and allegations of partisan behaviour and injustice. Grant Duff was sharply criticized for the way he handled the Chingleput Ryots' Case
Chingleput Ryots' Case
The Chingleput Ryots' Case was a prominent trial which took place in the then Madras Presidency in India between 1881 and 1883. The action of the then Governor of Madras M. E. Grant Duff provoked outrage all over the Presidency...
and the arrests and trials following the Salem Riots of 1882
Salem Riots of 1882
The Salem Riots of 1882 is a term used to refer to serious Hindu-Muslim disturbances which took place in the city of Salem, Tamil Nadu in the then Madras Presidency in August 1882.- Causes :...
. The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
accused Grant Duff of indulging in vindictive and vengeful behaviour. In one of the articles, he was criticized thus:
Grant Duff was also accused of deliberately nurturing a movement against Brahmins.
However, Louis Mallet
Louis Mallet
Sir Louis Mallet was a British civil servant. He was Permanent Under-Secretary of State for India.He was born in London and was in all probability educated there, though at which school or college is not known. He began his career in the Civil Service as a clerk in the Audit Office and appears to...
, the then Under-Secretary of State for India, was all praise for Grant Duff. On receipt of Grant Duff's last minute as Governor, Mallett said
W. S. Blunt, the British publicist, who visited Madras in November 1884, says of Grant Duff:
The Madras Mahajana Sabha
Madras Mahajana Sabha
Madras Mahajana Sabha was an Indian nationalist organisation based in the Madras Presidency. Along with the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha, Bombay Presidency Association and the Indian Association, it is considered to be a predecessor of the Indian National Congress....
was established in 1884 with P. Rangaiah Naidu
P. Rangaiah Naidu
Palavai Rangaiah Naidu was an Indian lawyer, politician and Indian independence activist. He was an important leader of the Indian National Congress in its early stages.- Early career :...
as its President and R. Balaji Rao
R. Balaji Rao
R. Balaji Rao was an Indian politician and Indian independence activist who was a founder and first Secretary of the Madras Mahajana Sabha.- Personal life :...
as its Vice-President. To this day, this is considered to be one of the oldest Indian political organisations in the Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
, notwithstanding the Madras Native Association which was a failure. Members of the Madras Mahajana Sabha played a pivotal role in corresponding with Indian associations in other provinces and forming the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
in 1885. The Indian National Congress held its first session at Bombay in December 1885, attended by 72 delegates including 22 from the Madras Presidency. Grant Duff was made a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
in 1881 and a Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
in March 1887. In July 1886, Gladstone tried to get a peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
for Grant Duff but failed.
On an official visit to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, a few years after the conclusion of his tenure, Grant Duff records that the Speaker of the Italian Parliament Biancheri inquired about the size of the province which Grant Duff had governed. On receiving the reply from Grant Duff that the province was 'larger than Italy, including all the Italian islands', Biancheri astonishedly asked "What an empire is that , in which such a country is only a province".
Later life
On his return to England in 1887, Grant Duff devoted himself to the arts and sciences. He was Lord Rector of University of AberdeenUniversity of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
from 1866–72. He was member of the Athenaem, the Cosmopolitan Club
Cosmopolitan Club (London)
The Cosmopolitan Club in London, England, was a club which existed from 1852 to 1902. It met in rooms in Berkeley Square which had previously been the studio of George Frederic Watts and then of Henry Wyndham Phillips. The meeting room was dominated by a large painting by Watts of a naked damsel in...
, Literary Society, Grillion's Club, Breakfast Club and served as the president of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
from 1889 to 1892 and president of the Royal Historical Society
Royal Historical Society
The Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868. The premier society in the United Kingdom which promotes and defends the scholarly study of the past, it is based at University College London...
from 1892 to 1899. He was treasurer of the exclusive dining club known simply as The Club
The Club (dining club)
The Club was a London dining club founded in February 1764 by the artist Joshua Reynolds and essayist Samuel Johnson.-Description:Initially, the club would meet one evening per week at seven, at the Turk's Head Inn in Gerrard Street, Soho. Later, meetings were reduced to once per fortnight whilst...
from 1893. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1881, and was appointed a trustee of the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
in 1903.
Grant Duff also served as Chairman of the Liberty and Property Defence League established to curb socialist tendencies in the Liberal Party.
Personal life
In April 1859 Grant-Duff married Anna Julia Webster; they had four sons and four daughters. Their eldest daughter was Clare Annabel CarolineClaire Annabel Caroline Grant Duff
Claire Annabel Caroline Grant Duff, , was a poet, writer and high society hostess. She was the eldest daughter of Sir Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff and Anna Julia Webster. She was the author of A Victorian Childhood, which was published in 1932, under the pen name Annabel Jackson...
, wife of the financier Frederick Huth Jackson, whilst their third son, Adrian Grant-Duff colonel of the Black Watch was killed at the First Battle of the Aisne
First Battle of the Aisne
The First Battle of the Aisne was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army & Second Army as they retreated after the First Battle of the Marne earlier in September 1914...
in September 1914. Adrian's daughter was Shiela Grant Duff
Shiela Grant Duff
Shiela Grant Duff was a British author and foreign correspondent.-Early years:The youngest daughter of Adrian Grant Duff and The Hon.Ursula Lubbock, Shiela Grant Duff was born in the Grosvenor Square home of her maternal grandfather, Sir John Lubbock on Whit Sunday...
while his son, Neill, was himself shot down over France, in 1940, whilst with the RAF.
Grant Duff died in his home in Chelsea, London on January 1906, aged 76, and was buried in Elgin Cathedral, Scotland.