Elgin, James Bruce, 8th earl of

born July 20, 1811, London, Eng.

died Nov. 20, 1863, Dharmshala, India

British governor-general of Canada.

He was appointed governor of Jamaica in 1842. As governor of British North America (1847–54), he implemented the policy of responsible, or cabinet, government recommended by Lord Durham. Elgin supported the Rebellion Losses Act (1849), which compensated Canadians for losses during the 1837 rebellion in Lower Canada, a stand criticized by Tory opponents in England and French-Canadian rioters in Montreal. He negotiated the Reciprocity Treaty (1854) between the Canadian colonies and the U.S. In 1857 he left Canada to serve in diplomatic posts in China, Japan, and India.

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▪ British statesman

in full  James Bruce, 8th earl of Elgin, 12th earl of Kincardine 

born July 20, 1811, London

died Nov. 20, 1863, Dharmsala, India

 British statesman and governor general of British North America in 1847–54 who effected responsible, or cabinet, government in Canada and whose conduct in office defined the role for his successors.

      Bruce had been elected to the British House of Commons for Southampton as a liberal Tory in 1841, but later that year he inherited his father's title (Scottish peerage) and left the Commons. In 1842 he was appointed governor of Jamaica. In 1846 he was named governor general of British North America and given the task of implementing the policy of responsible government recommended by his father-in-law, John George Lambton, 1st earl of Durham (Durham, John George Lambton, 1st earl of). He worked with the existing government of the Province of Canada until its defeat in the 1848 general election, when he supported the next administration's Rebellion Losses Act (1849), which compensated all Canadians for losses incurred during an 1837 rebellion in Lower Canada. His stand attracted strong Tory opposition; Elgin himself was stoned (though uninjured) by a mob, and the Parliament buildings in Montreal were burned.

      Elgin maintained good relations with the two subsequent administrations. In 1849 he was created Baron Elgin (United Kingdom peerage) and was made a privy councillor. He negotiated the Reciprocity Treaty (1854) between the Canadian colonies and the U.S. He also worked on the Canadian educational system and abolished seigneurial tenure. In 1857–59 and 1860–61 he served as special commissioner to China, and in 1858 he made an official visit to Japan. In England he served as postmaster general (1859–60) in Lord Palmerston's Cabinet, before undertaking his last post as viceroy of India in 1862.

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