    thomas bruce, 7th earl of elgin and 11th earl of kincardine (; 20 july 1766 - 14 november 1841) was a scottish nobleman and diplomat, known for the removal of marble sculptures (also known as the elgin marbles) from the parthenon in athens.encyclopÃ¦dia britannica, "thomas bruce, 7th earl of elgin", o.ed., 2008 ==early life== elgin was born in broomhall, 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 while he was only five. he entered the army as an ensign in the 3rd guards. he was elected as a scottish representative peer in 1790, remaining one until 1807. in 1791, he was sent as a temporary envoy-extraordinary to austria, while sir robert keith was ill. he was then sent as envoy-extraordinary in brussels until the conquest of the austrian netherlands by france. after spending time in britain, he was sent as envoy-extraordinary to prussia in 1795. on 11 march 1799, shortly before setting off to serve as ambassador at constantinople, elgin married mary, daughter and heiress of william hamilton nisbet, of dirleton;burke's peerage (1939 edition)  elgin was ambassador to the ottoman empire between 1799 and 1803; he showed considerable skill and energy in fulfilling a difficult mission, the extension of british influence during the conflict between the ottoman empire and france.christopher hitchens, the elgin marbles: should they be returned to greece?, 1998, p.p.10-11 ==elgin marbles==   acting on the advice of sir william hamilton, he procured at his own expense the services of the neapolitan painter, lusieri, and of several skilful draughtsmen and modellers. these artists were despatched to athens in the summer of 1800, and were principally employed in making drawings of the 
1766_births 1841_deaths 18th-century_Scottish_people 19th-century_Scottish_people Acropolis_of_Athens Alumni_of_the_University_of_St_Andrews Ambassadors_of_Great_Britain_to_the_Ottoman_Empire Ambassadors_of_the_United_Kingdom_to_the_Ottoman_Empire British_diplomats Earls_of_Elgin Earls_of_Kincardine Lord-Lieutenants_of_Fife People_associated_with_the_British_Museum People_educated_at_Westminster_School,_London