Henry Dundas

Henry Dundas , 1st Viscount of Melville (April 28th, 1742 - May 28th, 1811) is a man of law and a Scottish man potitic .

Dundas is the fourth wire of Robert Dundas, Lord Arniston the Old one (1685-1753), Lord President of the Supreme court. It is born with Dalkeith in 1742 and studies in Royal High School of Edinburgh, then with the Université of Edinburgh.

Become member of the Faculty of Lawyers in 1763, it acquires soon a position of foreground in the Scottish legal system and profits from the success of his half-brother Robert (1713-1787), who becomes Lord President of the Supreme court in 1760.

He becomes public prosecutor for Scotland in 1766; but, after its nomination like Lord Avocat in 1775, it gives up little by little the legal practice more exclusively to devote its attention on the public affairs. In 1774, it represents Midlothian at the Parliament of Great Britain, where it rejoins the party of Lord Frederick North and, in spite of its Scottish speech and its disgracieuses manners, is characterized soon by its clear and argued speeches. Its name appears in 1776 in the register of the Poker Club.

After having occupied of the stations subordinates under William Petty, 2nd count de Shelburne, and William Pitt the Young person, it enters to the Cabinet in 1791 as Secretary of State to the House.

From 1794 to 1801, he is secretary with the war under Pitt, his large friend. In 1802, it is high with the Pairie the United Kingdom like Viscount of Melville and baron de Dunira.

Under Pitt, in 1804, it enters again to the government like First Lord of Admiralty and introduced many reforms into the operation of the ministry. Suspicions appear, however, concerning the financial management of the Admiralty, of which he had been treasurer between 1782 and 1800. In 1802 a board of inquiry is named, which returns his report/ratio in 1805. The result is the dismissal of Dundas in 1806, on the initiative of Samuel Whitbread, for diversion of the public money; and, although it ended up being discharged and that no legal load could be retained against him, it will never find again governmental function. Another reason of its retirement could be the death of Pitt in 1806. A title of count is offered to him in 1809, but it declines the offer.

He was the Serious friend of John Simcoe, lieutenant-governor of the High-Canada. In homage to his/her friend, Simcoe baptized Dundas Street a street of Toronto (now “provincial roads 2”); the town of Dundas, in the Ontario, owes him also its name. In 1792, one names the county of Dundas, in Ontario, in his honor.

A monument, imitated column of Trajan to Rome, occupies the center of St Andrew' S Square, in Edimboug. Raised “by the voluntary contributions of the officers, the warrant officers, the sailors and the soldiers of marine of these linked kingdoms”, it was conceived in 1821 by William Burn, advised by Robert Stephenson after residents expressed their concerns the capacity of the ground to support a column of such a size. A statue of Dundas was added above in 1828.

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