John Erskine (Royal Navy officer)
Encyclopedia
Admiral
John Elphinstone Erskine (13 July 1806 – 23 June 1887) was a Royal Navy
officer and Liberal
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1874.
, he was the son of David Erskine, of Cardross, Stirling
, and the great-grandson of the jurist John Erskine
. His mother was the Hon. Keith Elphinstone, daughter John Elphinstone, 11th Lord Elphinstone. He was educated at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth and entered the Royal Navy
in 1819.
, on the West Indies station. After three years on half-pay from 1845 to 1847 he was appointed senior officer on HMS Havannah
on the Australian station. Between 25 June and 7 October 1849, he toured Samoa
, Tonga
, Fiji
, the New Hebrides
, the Loyalty Islands
and New Caledonia
. In 1850 he visited the Solomon Islands
and other islands and published his account of the expeditions in Journal of Cruise among the Islands of the Western Pacific in H.M.'s ship Havannah in 1853. He also published A short account of the Gold Discoveries in Australia after touring the Australian goldfields in 1850. Capt. Erskine commanded the HMS Orion (1854)
during the Fleet Review of 1856 at Spithead
, England. He served in the Baltic during the Crimean War
and commanded a division of the Channel Squadron, from 1859 till 1861. He became a Vice-Admiral in 1864, and an Admiral 1869.
Erskine was elected Member of Parliament
for Stirlingshire
. He held the seat until 1874. In parliament he was leader of the influential lobby working for the Pacific Islanders Protection Act of 1872. Erskine was also a Justice of the Peace
for Stirlingshire. He was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
and joined the Aborigines' Protection Society
after he had experienced naval anti-slavery operations in the West Indies and seen the impact of European penetration into the Pacific Ocean
.
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
John Elphinstone Erskine (13 July 1806 – 23 June 1887) was a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer and Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1874.
Background and education
A member of Clan ErskineClan Erskine
-Origins of the Name:The surname Erskine is derived from the name of Erskine, an area to the south of the River Clyde and ten miles to the west of Glasgow...
, he was the son of David Erskine, of Cardross, Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
, and the great-grandson of the jurist John Erskine
John Erskine of Carnock
John Erskine of Carnock was a Scottish jurist and professor of Scottish law at the University of Edinburgh...
. His mother was the Hon. Keith Elphinstone, daughter John Elphinstone, 11th Lord Elphinstone. He was educated at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth and entered the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in 1819.
Naval career
Erskine's first command was the gunboat HMS Arachne on the Jamaica station in 1829. He served in the Mediterranean and was promoted to captain on 28 June 1839. He was the flag captain to his cousin, Sir Charles AdamCharles Adam
Admiral Sir Charles Adam, KCB was a British naval officer. He was the second son of William Adam of Blair Adam and his wife Eleanora, the daughter of Charles Elphinstone, 10th Lord Elphinstone and sister of Lord Keith....
, on the West Indies station. After three years on half-pay from 1845 to 1847 he was appointed senior officer on HMS Havannah
HMS Havannah (1811)
HMS Havannah was a Royal Navy 36-gun fifth-rate frigate. She was launched at the Liverpool yard of Wilson & Co. in 1811 and was one of twenty-seven Apollo-class frigates...
on the Australian station. Between 25 June and 7 October 1849, he toured Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
, Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, the New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
, the Loyalty Islands
Loyalty Islands
The Loyalty Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific. They are part of the French territory of New Caledonia, whose mainland is away. They form the Loyalty Islands Province , one of the three provinces of New Caledonia...
and New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
. In 1850 he visited the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
and other islands and published his account of the expeditions in Journal of Cruise among the Islands of the Western Pacific in H.M.'s ship Havannah in 1853. He also published A short account of the Gold Discoveries in Australia after touring the Australian goldfields in 1850. Capt. Erskine commanded the HMS Orion (1854)
HMS Orion (1854)
HMS Orion was a 91-gun screw ship launched in 1854 and second of six ships of the same name.-History:She was commanded from this time through to late 1857 by Captain John Elphinstone Erskine; including the 23 Apr 1856 Fleet Review at Spithead. and saw service during the Baltic war against Russia in...
during the Fleet Review of 1856 at Spithead
Spithead
Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds, except those from the southeast...
, England. He served in the Baltic during the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
and commanded a division of the Channel Squadron, from 1859 till 1861. He became a Vice-Admiral in 1864, and an Admiral 1869.
Political career
At the 1865 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1865
The 1865 United Kingdom general election saw the Liberals, led by Lord Palmerston, increase their large majority over the Earl of Derby's Conservatives to more than 80. The Whig Party changed its name to the Liberal Party between the previous election and this one.Palmerston died later in the same...
Erskine was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Stirlingshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain and later of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 until 1918...
. He held the seat until 1874. In parliament he was leader of the influential lobby working for the Pacific Islanders Protection Act of 1872. Erskine was also a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Stirlingshire. He was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
and joined the Aborigines' Protection Society
Aborigines' Protection Society
The Aborigines' Protection Society was an international human rights organisation, founded in 1837, to protect the health and well-being and the sovereign, legal and religious rights of the indigenous peoples subjected by colonial powers. The Society published tracts, pamphlets, Annual Reports and...
after he had experienced naval anti-slavery operations in the West Indies and seen the impact of European penetration into the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.