His Excellency
Andrew Elliot
41st Governor of New York
Acting
In office
17 April 1783 – 25 November 1783
MonarchGeorge III
Preceded byJames Robertson
Succeeded byVacant (American Revolution)
(Title next held by George Clinton)
Personal details
BornNovember 1728
Edinburgh, Scotland
Died25 May 1797(1797-05-25) (aged 68)
Mount Teviot, Jedburgh, Scotland
Spouses
  • Eleanor McCall
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1754; died 1756)​
  • Elisabeth Plumsted
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1760)​
ChildrenEleanor Jauncey Digby
Agnes, Lady Carnegie
Elizabeth Cathcart, Countess Cathcart
Parent(s)Sir Gilbert Elliot, 2nd Bt of Minto
Helen Stewart
ProfessionColonial merchant, official

Andrew Elliot (November 1728 – 25 May 1797) was a British merchant and official who served as the Acting and last British Governor of New York in 1783.

Early life

Elliot was born November 1728 in Edinburgh, the son of Sir Gilbert Elliot, 2nd Baronet of Minto and the former Helen Steuart (1696–1774). He was a brother of Gilbert, John, and Jean Elliot.

His paternal grandparents were Sir Gilbert Elliot, 1st Baronet, of Minto and Dame Jane Carre (the fourth daughter of Sir Andrew Carre of Cavers, Roxborough). His maternal grandparents were Sir Robert Steuart, 1st Baronet, of Allanbank, and, his second wife, Helen Cockburn (a daughter of Sir Alexander Cockburn of Langton). His maternal uncle was Archibald Stewart, Lord Provost of Edinburgh.[1]

Career

He arrived in Pennsylvania in 1746 as an apprentice and established himself as a trader. In 1762, he was elected a member of the board of trustees of the College of Philadelphia. In 1763, he was appointed collector of the port of New York and receiver general of New York. In 1764 he was appointed to the Province of New York executive council.

During the American Revolution he remained a Loyalist. A few days after the declaration of independence he left New York City for Perth Amboy for his safety. He returned to New York City after the British reoccupation. On 1 May 1777 he was appointed the head of the military court of police and on 17 July the superintendent of all imports and exports. In 1780 he was appointed lieutenant governor of the Province of New York. In 1783 he was part of the delegation that met with George Washington at Tappan.[2] He was the acting governor from April 1783 to November.[3]

Later life

Elliot sent his family back to Scotland on HMS Nonsuch on 9 July, and then he left for Scotland in December 1783.[4] After returning to Scotland, he was asked to serve as British Minister to America in 1790, but declined and held no further public offices.[5]

Personal life

Coat of Arms of Andrew Elliot

Elliot was twice married. His first marriage was in 1754 to Eleanor McCall, a daughter of George McCall and Anne (née Yeates) McCall of Philadelphia.[6] Together, they were the parents of one child:[7]

After the death of his first wife, he married Elisabeth Plumsted in 1760. She was a daughter of the Mayor of Philadelphia William Plumsted and, his first wife, Rebecca (née Kearney) Plumsted. After Elisabeth's mother died, her father William married Mary McCall, the sister of Elliot's first wife, making Elisabeth a step-daughter of his sister-in-law.[10] Together, they were the parents of:[3]

Elliot died at home on 25 May 1797 at Mount Teviot, Jedburgh, aged 68.[3]

References

  1. ^ R. Sedgwick, ed. (1970). "STEWART, Archibald (1697–1780), of Edinburgh and Mitcham, Surr.". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715-1754 – via History of Parliament Online.
  2. ^ To George Washington from Andrew Elliot, 20 November 1783 Retrieved 16 May 2020
  3. ^ a b c d e Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography: PMHB. University of Pennsylvania Press. 1887. p. 131. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  4. ^ The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 1887, page 156
  5. ^ "Andrew Elliot". archives.upenn.edu. University Archives and Records Center. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  6. ^ Keen, Gregory B. (1882). "The Descendants of Jöran Kyn, the Founder of Upland (continued)". The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Vol. 6, no. 3. JSTOR 20084563.
  7. ^ Eugene Devereux (July 1887). "Andrew Elliot, Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of New York". The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Vol. 11, no. 2. pp. 129–150. JSTOR 20083194.
  8. ^ Brown, Joseph Outerbridge (1876). The Jaunceys of New York. Thitchener & Glastaeter, printers. pp. 17–19. ISBN 978-0-598-99447-9. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  9. ^ Kassler, Michael (24 March 2021). The Diary of Queen Charlotte, 1789 and 1794: Memoirs of the Court of George III, Volume 4. Routledge. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-000-41983-2. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  10. ^ Young, John Russell (1895). Memorial History of the City of Philadelphia: From Its First Settlement to the Year 1895. New-York History Company. p. 289. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
Government offices Preceded byJames Robertson Governor of New YorkActing 1783 VacantAmerican RevolutionTitle next held byGeorge Clinton
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