Minto, Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th earl of

Minto, Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th earl of kĭnĭnˈmənd [key], 1845–1914, British colonial administrator. He entered the army in 1867, eventually becoming (1884) military secretary to Lord Lansdowne, governor-general of Canada. As a popular governor-general himself (1898–1904) Minto maintained cordial relations with the Canadian prime minister, Sir Wilfrid Laurier. He then served (1905–10) as viceroy of India. He worked with John Morley to produce the Morley-Minto reforms (1909), which increased native membership on the advisory legislative councils of the viceroy and began India's advance to self-rule.

See study by S. R. Wasti (1964).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: British and Irish History: Biographies