Background
He was the eldest son of Edward Ellice, from his first marriage to Hannah Althea Grey, the youngest sister of Earl Grey, and was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge.
He was the eldest son of Edward Ellice, from his first marriage to Hannah Althea Grey, the youngest sister of Earl Grey, and was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge.
In 1832, he was appointed as Private Secretary to Lord Durham for his diplomatic mission to Russia. Ellice was an unsuccessful candidate for Inverness Burghs in the 1835 general election, but was elected to represent Huddersfield in a May 1837 by-election. In the general election that year he was elected to represent Street Andrews Burghs, a seat he held until 1880.
He was offered a peerage by William Gladstone in 1869, but declined the offer, and retired from Parliament in early 1880, shortly before his death aged 69.
Ellice married Katherine Balfour, daughter of General Balfour of Balbirnie, in 1834.
He remained a backbencher throughout his political career, taking special interest in the reform of the Poor Laws. He supported the idea of "clearance", but viewed indiscriminate forcible eviction of the peasantry as "cruel and indefensible" (Spain, 2004).
12th United Kingdom Parliament. 13th United Kingdom Parliament. 14th United Kingdom Parliament.
15th United Kingdom Parliament.
16th United Kingdom Parliament. 17th United Kingdom Parliament.
18th United Kingdom Parliament. 19th United Kingdom Parliament.
20th United Kingdom Parliament.
21st United Kingdom Parliament.