Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville

The Viscount Melville
First Lord of the Admiralty
In office
May 1804 – May 1805
MonarchGeorge III
Prime MinisterWilliam Pitt the Younger
Preceded byThe Earl of St. Vincent
Succeeded byThe Lord Barham
Secretary of State for War
In office
July 1794 – March 1801
MonarchGeorge III
Prime MinisterWilliam Pitt
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byLord Hobart
President of the Board of Control
In office
June 1793 – May 1801
MonarchGeorge III
Prime Minister
Preceded byThe Lord Grenville
Succeeded byViscount Lewisham
Home Secretary
In office
8 June 1791 – 11 July 1794
MonarchGeorge III
Prime MinisterPitt
Preceded byThe Lord Grenville
Succeeded byThe Duke of Portland
Lord Advocate
In office
24 May 1775[1] – August 1783
MonarchGeorge III
Prime Minister
Preceded bySir James Montgomery
Succeeded byHenry Erskine
Member of Parliament
for Edinburgh
In office
1790–1802
Preceded bySir Adam Fergusson
Succeeded byCharles Hope
Personal details
Born(1742-04-28)28 April 1742
Edinburgh, Scotland
Died28 May 1811(1811-05-28) (aged 69)
Edinburgh, Scotland
Nationality
Political partyIndependent Whig
Spouses
  • (m. 1765; div. 1778)
  • Lady Jane Hope
    (m. 1793)
ChildrenRobert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville
Parents
Alma materUniversity of Edinburgh
Melville Castle, home of Henry Dundas

Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, PC, FRSE (28 April 1742 – 28 May 1811), styled as Lord Melville from 1802, was the trusted lieutenant of British prime minister William Pitt and the most powerful politician in Scotland in the late 18th century.

Dundas was instrumental in the encouragement of the Scottish Enlightenment,[2] in the prosecution of the war against France, and in the expansion of British influence in India. Prime Minister Pitt appointed him Lord of Trade (1784–1786), Home Secretary (1791–1794), President of the Board of Control for Indian Affairs (1793–1801), Secretary at War (1794–1801) and First Lord of the Admiralty (1804–1805). As a political boss, Lord Dundas's deft and almost absolute power over Scottish politics during a long period in which no monarch visited the country led to him being nicknamed "King Harry the Ninth", the "Grand Manager of Scotland" (a play on the masonic office of Grand Master of Scotland), and "The Uncrowned King of Scotland."[3][4][5] He was, however, a controversial figure, over his amendment to a motion for abolition of the Atlantic slave trade, which called for gradual abolition. At that time, the leaders of the abolitionist movement sought an immediate end to the slave trade, while the West Indian interests opposed any abolition at all.

  1. ^ Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1–20, 22
  2. ^ Fry, Michael (1992). The Dundas Despotism. Edinburgh Univ Pr. pp. 62–65, 141. ISBN 978-0748603527.
  3. ^ "Henry Dundas' private papers bought for Scots archive". Glasgow: BBC News Scotland. 3 July 2012. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  4. ^ Schofield, Claire (10 June 2021). "Who was Henry Dundas? Why the Edinburgh statue of the Scottish advocate is being changed to reflect his links to slavery". Edinburgh Evening News. National World Publishing Ltd. Archived from the original on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  5. ^ MacPherson, Hamish (10 June 2020). "Henry Dundas: The Scotsman who kept slavery going". The National. Newsquest Media Group Ltd. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.