George Elliot ( 1784 – 1863 ) Admiral Sir George Elliot , KCB ( 1 August 1784 – 24 June 1863 ) , was a Royal Navy officer who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , and the First Opium War . Elliot was born to influential and distinguished family that included several powerful politicians and diplomats . After entering the navy at an early age he served through several of the decisive battles of the French Revolutionary Wars , seeing action at Genoa , Hyères , and Cape St Vincent and under Nelson at the Nile and Copenhagen . He had graduated to his own commands by the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars , being described by Nelson as one of the best officers in the navy , and served with distinction in the Mediterranean and in the East Indies , where he took part in the Invasion of Java . Left without significant employment after the end of the wars with France , Elliot took up politics , with the support of the Duke of Clarence and his relatives already in government office . Elliot briefly represented Roxburghshire in Parliament , and served as Secretary to the Admiralty and later one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty . He briefly returned to active naval service with his elevation to flag rank , and commanded the station at the Cape of Good Hope . He went out to superintend operations in China during the First Opium War , but failed to make any decisive difference , and returned to Britain . Here he found factional politics had reduced his and his relations ' former influence in government , and he thereafter only served in a minor capacity in the navy , and did not return to government office . He died in 1863 , having risen by seniority to the rank of admiral , fathered a large family which included high - ranking military officers , and their spouses , and having made a distinct contribution to naval policy during his time in politics . Family and early life . George Elliot was born on 1 August 1784 , the second son of Gilbert Elliot - Murray - Kynynmound , 1st Earl of Minto and his wife Anna Maria . George Elliot was the brother of Gilbert Elliot - Murray - Kynynmound , the future second Earl of Minto . George Elliot joined the navy as a first - class volunteer in 1794 , shortly after the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars and served at first aboard the 98 - gun under Captain Thomas Foley . The " St George " was at the time the flagship of Sir Hyde Parker . While aboard " St George " Elliot saw action at the Naval Battle of Genoa on 14 March 1795 and the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands on 13 June 1795 . Elliot continued to serve under Foley for the next few years , moving with him in succession to , aboard which he saw action at the Battle of Cape St Vincent on 14 February 1797 , , which fought at the Battle of the Nile on 1 – 3 August 1798 and then aboard . After seeing action in several of the decisive naval battles of the French Revolutionary Wars Elliot was promoted to lieutenant on 12 August 1800 . He went on to serve under admirals Sir Charles Pole and Horatio Nelson in this capacity in 1801 , initially aboard and then aboard HMS " St George " . While serving aboard " St George " , which was then under the command of Captain Thomas Hardy , Elliot accompanied the expeditionary fleet to the Baltic under Sir Hyde Parker , and took part in the fighting during the Battle of Copenhagen . He was promoted to the rank of commander on 14 April 1802 , and went out to the Mediterranean in May the following year with Nelson , as a volunteer on his flagship . Command . Nelson gave Elliot his first command on 10 July 1803 , appointing him to the sloop . His time in command of her was brief , and on 1 August he was moved to the 32 - gun . He received a promotion to post - captain on 2 January 1804 , and commanded " Maidstone " at the blockade of Toulon . On 11 July 1804 boats from " Maidstone " , and those from and took part in the destruction of vessels at Lavandou . He was then briefly attached to the squadron blockading Cadiz under Captain Sir Richard Strachan , and it was around this time that Nelson described him as one of the best officers in the navy . Elliot spent the rest of the war serving on several different stations , at times in home waters , and with spells in the Mediterranean , and in the East Indies . He was made captain of in March 1805 . In July 1805 he recommissioned the 22 - gun for service in the Mediterranean , and in October 1806 took command of the 36 - gun . Elliot commanded her for the next six years , and sailed for the East Indies and China on 15 February 1807 . On 8 October 1808 he chased down and captured the 18 - gun French corvette " Iéna " while in the Bay of Bengal , and on 15 July 1809 boats from " Modeste " and cut out the 8 - gun " Tuijneelar " in the Sunda Straits . Elliot then took part in the operations to capture Java between August and September 1811 . He took command of the 38 - gun in 1813 and was involved in the suppression of Borneo pirates in June . His actions during these campaigns brought the attention of his superiors , as did his assistance to Colonel McGregor in restoring the Sultan of Palembang . The end of the Napoleonic Wars left him without any commands , though he was able to secure a posting to command HMS " Victory " , then serving as the guardship at Portsmouth from 1 May 1827 until 24 January 1832 . His service during this period earned Elliot the praise of the Duke of Clarence , the future King William IV . Flag rank and political career . King William appointed Elliot a naval aide - de - camp in 1830 , and in September that year he was nominated a Companion of the Bath . The King also asked him to serve as Secretary to the Admiralty from 29 November 1830 , a post he held until December 1834 . He was also one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty ( the Third Naval Lord ) from April 1835 . In addition to these offices Elliot sat as a Whig Member of Parliament for Roxburghshire from 1832 until his defeat in 1835 . In 1834 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society . The First Lord of the Admiralty between September 1835 to September 1841 , during Elliot ' s time as commissioner , was his brother , Gilbert Elliot - Murray - Kynynmound , 2nd Earl of Minto . George Elliot specialised in ship design and construction , notably opposing Sir William Symonds , the Surveyor of the Navy , and his system . Together with First Naval Lord Sir Charles Adam he pressed for money to be spent on repairing ships rather than building new ones . He designed a small frigate during this period , which was launched in 1843 as . The design attracted much comment , particularly praising her fine lines and speed , and for a time she was commanded by his son , Captain George Elliot . She later became a training ship and foundered with heavy loss of life in a squall off the Isle of Wight on 24 March 1878 . Elliot was promoted to rear - admiral on 10 January 1837 and in September that year went out as commander - in - chief of the Cape Station . He was then sent to China in February 1840 , during the First Opium War , as commander - in - chief East Indies and China Station and joint plenipotentiary with his cousin , Captain Charles Elliot . He oversaw operations between July and November , but his actions and negotiations were viewed by the foreign secretary , Lord Palmerston , as being irresolute and ineffective . Elliot himself admitted that he was out of his depth , and on his health deteriorating , returned to Britain in November . By the time of his return the political situation had changed . The formation of the First Russell ministry in 1846 led to the exclusion of the Elliot clan from the Admiralty by the powerful Lansdowne faction . George Elliot became a vice - admiral on 13 May 1847 , and served as Commander - in - Chief , The Nore between 1848 and 1851 . He attained the rank of full admiral on 5 March 1853 , and was placed on the retired list at half pay in 1855 . He was advanced to a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in November 1862 , and died on 24 June the following year at his home , 4 Princes Terrace , Kensington , London . He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery in a private ceremony . Family and issue . George Elliot married Eliza Cecilia in 1810 and went on to have a large family together . Their eldest son , George Elliot , entered the navy and became an admiral , while another son , Alexander James Hardy Elliot , entered the Army and became a major - general . Of his daughters , Georgiana Maria married William Carnegie , 8th Earl of Northesk , Eliza married William Compton , 4th Marquess of Northampton and Catherine Francis married James Robert Drummond .