James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin
The Earl of Elgin | |
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The 8th Earl of Elgin, c. 1860 | |
| 2nd Viceroy and Governor-General of India | |
| In office 21 March 1862 – 20 November 1863 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | The Earl Canning |
| Succeeded by | Sir Robert Napier As Acting Governor-General |
| Governor General of the Province of Canada | |
| In office 1847–1854 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | The Earl Cathcart |
| Succeeded by | Sir Edmund Walker Head |
| Governor of Jamaica | |
| In office 1842–1846 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | Sir Charles Metcalfe |
| Succeeded by | George Berkeley As Acting Governor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 July 1811 London, England |
| Died | 20 November 1863 (aged 52) |
| Resting place | St. John in the Wilderness Church, Punjab, British India |
| Spouses |
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| Children | Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin |
| Parents |
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| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
| Signature | |
James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine, KT, GCB, KCSI, PC, FSA Scot (20 July 1811 – 20 November 1863) was a British colonial administrator and diplomat. He served as Governor of Jamaica (1842–1846), Governor General of the Province of Canada (1847–1854), and Viceroy of India (1862–1863). He is also noted for his role during the Second Opium War.
In 1857, he was appointed High Commissioner and Plenipotentiary in China and the Far East to assist in the process of opening up China and Japan to Western trade. In 1860, during the Second Opium War in China, he ordered the destruction of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, an architectural wonder with immeasurable collections of artworks and historic antiques, inflicting incalculable loss of cultural heritage. Subsequently, he compelled the Qing dynasty to sign the Convention of Peking, adding Kowloon Peninsula to the British crown colony of Hong Kong.