Mountstuart Elphinstone
| Mountstuart Elphinstone | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Governor of Bombay | |
|
In office 1 November 1819 – 1 November 1827 |
|
| Governor-General |
The Marquess of Hastings The Earl Amhurst |
| Preceded by | Sir Evan Nepean, Bt |
| Succeeded by | Sir John Malcolm |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 October 1779 Dumbarton, Dumbartonshire, Scotland |
| Died | 20 November 1859 (aged 80) Hookwood, Surrey, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Royal High School |
| Occupation | , historian |
The Hon Mountstuart Elphinstone FRSE (6 October 1779 – 20 November 1859) was a Scottish and historian, associated with the government of British India. He later became the Governor of Bombay (now Mumbai) where he is credited with the opening of several educational institutions accessible to the Indian population. Besides being a noted administrator, he wrote books on India and Afghanistan.
Born in Dumbarton, Dumbartonshire (now Dunbartonshire) in 1779, and educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh, he was the fourth son of the 11th Baron Elphinstone in the peerage of Scotland. Having been appointed to the civil service of the British East India Company, of which one of his uncles was a director, he arrived at Calcutta (now Kolkata) early in 1796 where he filled several subordinate posts. In 1801, he escaped massacre in Benares (now Varanasi) by the followers of the deposed Nawab of Awadh Wajid Ali Shah. Later that year he was transferred to the Diplomatic Service where he was posted as the assistant to the British resident at the court of the Peshwa ruler Baji Rao II.
In the Peshwa court he obtained his first opportunity of distinction, being attached in the capacity of diplomatist to the mission of Sir Arthur Wellesley to the Marathas. When, on the failure of negotiations, war broke out, Elphinstone, though a civilian, acted as virtual aide-de-camp to Wellesley. At the Battle of Assaye, and throughout the campaign, he displayed rare courage and knowledge of tactics such that Wellesley told him he ought to have been a soldier. In 1804, when the war ended, Elphinstone was appointed British resident at Nagpur. This gave him plenty of leisure time, which he spent in reading and study. Later, in 1807, he completed a short stint at Gwalior.
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