Background
Elgin was born a member of the formerly royal house of Bruce, at Broomhall House, Fife, the second son of Charles Bruce, 5th Earl of Elgin and his wife Martha Whyte. He succeeded his older brother William Robert, the 6th Earl in 1771.
Diplomat politician Soldier nobleman
Elgin was born a member of the formerly royal house of Bruce, at Broomhall House, Fife, the second son of Charles Bruce, 5th Earl of Elgin and his wife Martha Whyte. He succeeded his older brother William Robert, the 6th Earl in 1771.
He was educated at Harrow, Westminster, the University of St. Andrews, and the University of Paris.
He entered the army in 1785 and rose to the rank of major general, but his real interests lay in art and diplomacy. He was elected as a Scottish Representative Peer in 1790, but was not active in Parliament after 1807. In 1792 he was envoy in Brussels, in 1795 envoy extraordinary to Berlin, and from 1799 to 1802 ambassador to Turkey. At his own expense, Lord Elgin had drawings made of many ancient Greek monuments, and after great difficulty he secured permission from the Turkish government to take casts of them and even to remove abroad "any pieces of stone with old inscriptions or figures thereon. " The open vandalism with which these monuments were being treated caused him, in face of almost incredible physical and official difficulties, to remove to London what are now called the "Elgin marbles, " including the frieze of the Parthenon and other sculptures from the Acropolis in Athens. Elgin returned to Britain in 1806. After 1810 Elgin moved to the European continent. In 1816 the collection was purchased by the British Museum in London for £36, 000 in an attempt to repay his escalating debt. Elgin's expenses had been more than £50, 000. He died in Paris, November 14, 1841.
Thomas Bruce was married twice and had a son and three daughters with the first wife and four sons and three daughters with the second wife.
On 21 September 1810, Elgin married Elizabeth (1790–1860), youngest daughter of James Townsend Oswald of Dunnikier.
Married on 1 July 1850, to Frederick Locker
Lady in waiting to Queen Victoria, and married to Arthur Stanley, who became Dean of Westminster.
Married on 14 October 1839, John Maxwell son of Sir John Maxwell, 7th Baronet.
On 28 January 1828 she married Robert Dundas.
Became governor-in-chief of British North America and viceroy of India and successor to the Earldom.
Became MP for Portsmouth.
Became a diplomat.
Became a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Grenadier Guards, married Katherine-Mary (d 1869), 2nd daughter of Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart, 6th Baronet.
Married on 14 March 1828, John Grant of Kilgraston.
Died unmarried, known by the courtesy title of Lord Bruce.
