Gideon Oliphant-Murray, 2nd Viscount Elibank facts for kids

Gideon Oliphant-Murray, the 2nd Viscount Elibank (born August 7, 1877 – died March 12, 1951), was an important Scottish figure. He worked as an administrator in different parts of the British Empire, became a politician, and was also a nobleman.

Gideon was the third son of the 1st Viscount Elibank and his wife Blanche Alice Scott. His family moved to Dresden, Germany, in 1886, where he started his education. Later, he went to Blairbridge School in Scotland. After finishing school, he worked at a bank in London for a short time before leaving in 1897.

Working in Different Countries

In 1898, Gideon left the United Kingdom to start a career helping to manage British colonies. He became a private secretary to George Le Hunte, who was in charge of British New Guinea. Two years later, he became a resident magistrate, which meant he was a local judge and administrator in the colony's Western Division. In 1901, he was put in charge of the Armed Native Constabulary, a local police force.

Later that year, he moved to South Africa during the final stages of the Second Boer War. He first worked as a private secretary for the Commissioner for Native Affairs in the Transvaal region. In 1902, he became an Assistant Native Commissioner in Zoutpansberg, Northern Transvaal. He left this job in 1906 and returned to Britain. The next year, he became an assistant private secretary to Francis Hopwood, who worked for the government department dealing with colonies. In this role, Gideon attended the 1907 Colonial Conference, where leaders from different parts of the British Empire met.

In 1909, Gideon was appointed as the administrator of St Vincent, a Caribbean island. He then became the Commissioner of Saint Lucia in 1915 and the Acting Governor of the Windward Islands in 1916. He retired from these roles in 1917.

His Time in Politics

Gideon Oliphant-Murray returned to Scotland during the First World War. He took on the important job of Food Commissioner for Glasgow and the western parts of Scotland, helping to manage food supplies during the war.

When a general election was held at the end of 1918, he was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow St Rollox. He was part of the Unionist Party. Gideon strongly supported Ulster Unionism, which aimed to keep Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom. Because of this, he disagreed with the government's policy on Ireland in February 1922 and did not run for re-election later that year.

In 1927, after his father passed away, Gideon became the 2nd Viscount Elibank. This meant he became a member of the House of Lords, which is part of the UK Parliament. He was very active there, often speaking about colonial matters. He also supported the United Empire Party, which wanted to encourage trade within the British Empire. He often spoke out against the governments of Canada and New Zealand and disagreed with the increased self-rule given to India in 1935. He was also a strong critic of the Labour government that came to power in 1945.

From 1934 to 1945, he held the honorary position of Lord Lieutenant of Peeblesshire, representing the King in that area of Scotland. He was also an Honorary Colonel of the 8th Battalion The Royal Scots, a military regiment, from 1939 to 1945. Gideon also had several business roles and was an honorary member of the Royal Company of Archers, a ceremonial bodyguard for the King in Scotland. He wrote a book about his life called A Man's Life in 1934.

Marriage and Later Life

In 1908, Gideon married Ermine M. K. Aspinwall. It was her second marriage, as her first husband had passed away about ten years earlier. Her grandfather was Robert Napier, a famous military leader. In 1925, Gideon had a portrait of Ermine painted by the artist Philip de László, which hung in their London home. The couple did not have any children.

Ermine was very involved in good causes and supported her husband in his work. She was known for her hard work on committees and at social events. In August 1950, Gideon and Ermine moved to South Africa. Gideon passed away in Cape Town in March 1951, at the age of 73. Ermine then returned to England and lived in London until her death in 1955, at age 76. Gideon's younger brother, Arthur Cecil Murray, became the next Viscount Elibank.

Family Homes

The Elibank family divided their time between London and Scotland. Their Scottish home was called Black Barony, located in the Scottish Borders. The family had owned this property since 1771, and it was expanded in the 18th century. The Murrays of Elibank owned Black Barony until 1930.

In London, they lived in several places. They had an apartment in St James' Court, then a house at 23 Pelham Place in Kensington. Later, they moved to Sloane Gardens, and after the war, they took an apartment in Arlington Street. Finally, they moved to South Africa in 1950. After Gideon's death in Cape Town, Ermine returned to England and lived at the Lansdowne Club.

Images for kids

• (Charles) Gideon Murray, 2nd Viscount Elibank