John Eliot (Royal Navy officer)

John Eliot
Portrait of the family of Richard Eliot. John Eliot is one of the children in this engraving. Eliot's stepfather John Hamilton is also depicted.
5th Governor of British West Florida
In office 2 Apr 1769 – 2 May 1769
Preceded by	Montfort Browne
Succeeded by	Elias Durnford
Personal details
Born	2 June 1742 Port Eliot, St Germans, Cornwall
Died	2 May 1769 Pensacola, Florida
Profession	Royal Navy officer and Governor

John Eliot (2 June 1742 – 2 May 1769) was a Royal Navy captain. He was appointed Governor of West Florida in 1767 and committed suicide in 1769, shortly after his arrival in Pensacola.

John Eliot was born 2 June 1742 in Port Eliot, St Germans, Cornwall, to Richard and Harriet Craggs Eliot. His father was an important local politician, and his grandfather had served in the Royal Navy. His father died in 1749, and his mother afterward married John Hamilton, a navy captain.

Eliot joined the Royal Navy in 1752 as a midshipman aboard HMS Penzance. In 1753 command of Penzance was given to Eliot's brother in law, Hugh Bonfoy, and Eliot again served as a midshipman on his cruise to Newfoundland. He first saw action with the Channel fleet in 1756, during the Seven Years' War as a midshipman aboard HMS Vanguard under John Byron. In 1757 he transferred to HMS Marlborough (flagship of Admiral Thomas Cotes), which cruised to Jamaica but saw no action due to her poor sailing characteristics. Seeking action, Eliot transferred to HMS Augusta as third lieutenant. Her first lieutenant was George Johnstone, who would also figure in the history of West Florida.

Augusta's captain, Arthur Forrest, was an aggressive tactician, and Eliot repeatedly saw action under Forrest's command. During the first six months of 1758 Forrest raided French shipping in the Caribbean, taking numerous prizes. In June 1758 Eliot transferred to HMS Viper. He cruised with her until January 1759, when he was temporarily given her command after her captain succumbed to a tropical fever. This command was brief (lasting just under one month) before a new captain was assigned to the ship. In April 1759 Eliot returned to England aboard HMS Hornet.