General Sir Alexander Duff (1777 – 21 March 1851) was a British Army officer of the Napoleonic era.

Early life

Duff was the second son of

Alexander Duff, 3rd Earl Fife Alexander Duff, 3rd Earl Fife (18 April 1731 – 17 April 1811) was a Scottish nobleman. Early life Duff was born on 18 April 1731. He was a son of William Duff, 1st Earl Fife, and, his second wife, Jean Grant. Among his siblings were brothers J ...

and Mary Skene, daughter of George Skene, 18th of Skene. His elder brother was

James Duff, 4th Earl Fife James Duff, 4th Earl Fife, KT, GCH (6 October 1776 – 9 March 1857), was a Scottish nobleman who became a Spanish general. Biography James was the elder son of the Hon. Alexander Duff, who succeeded his brother as third Earl Fife in 1809. H ...

. His paternal grandparents were

William Duff, 1st Earl Fife William Duff, 1st Earl Fife (1697 – 30 September 1763), of Braco, Perth and Kinross, Braco, Banff, was a Scottish landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons from 1727 to 1734. Early life Du ...

, and, his second wife, Jean Grant (a daughter of Sir James Grant, 6th Baronet). His uncle was

James Duff, 2nd Earl Fife James Duff, 2nd Earl Fife (29 September 1729 – 1809) was a Scottish aristocrat and Member of Parliament. Heritage James Duff was second son of William Duff, 1st Earl Fife, and Jean Grant (daughter of Sir James Grant of Pluscardine, Baron ...

Career

In 1793, he was commissioned an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in the 66th Regiment of Foot, and served at

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

, in Flanders, in the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...

in 1798, and under Baird during the invasion of

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. In 1806, Duff commanded the centre column in the attack on Buenos Aires. He was appointed colonel of the 92nd Regiment of Foot in 1823, transferring to 37th Regiment of Foot in 1831. He was made GCH and knighted in 1834, and was promoted full general on 28 June 1838.

Political career

He was elected the Member of Parliament for Elgin Burghs, sitting from 1826 to 1831. From 1848 until his death he was Lord Lieutenant of Elginshire, and a deputy lieutenant of

Banffshire Banffshire (; ; ) is a historic county in Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. The historic county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975. Since 1996 the area has been spli ...

Personal life

Duff lived at Delgatie Castle near Turriff, Aberdeenshire. He had married Anne Stein, daughter of James Stein of Kilbagie and Kennetpans House and sister to John Stein, MP for Bletchingley. by whom he had two sons and two daughters, including: * James Duff, 5th Earl Fife (1814–1879), who married Lady Agnes Georgiana Elizabeth Hay, daughter of

William Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll William George Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll, KT, GCH, PC (21 February 1801 – 19 April 1846), styled Lord Hay between 1815 and 1819, was a Scottish peer and politician. Early life Erroll was the son of William Hay, 17th Earl of Erroll, and h ...

and Lady Elizabeth FitzClarence (an illegitimate daughter of

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

). * George Skene Duff (1816–1889), an MP for Elgin Burghs. * Catherine Duff (–1869), who married John Lewis Ricardo, MP for

Stoke-upon-Trent Stoke-upon-Trent, also known as Stoke, is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Staffordshire, Hanley, Burslem, Fenton, Staffordshire, Fenton, Longton, Staffordshire, Longton and Tunstall, Staffordshire, Tunstall form the city of Stoke-o ...

, and nephew of economist

David Ricardo David Ricardo (18 April 1772 – 11 September 1823) was a British political economist, politician, and member of Parliament. He is recognized as one of the most influential classical economists, alongside figures such as Thomas Malthus, Ada ...

, in 1841. He died at Percy Cross, Walham Green, Fulham, Middlesex in March 1851.

Freemasonry

He was Initiated into Scottish Freemasonry in Lodge Holyrood House (St Luke's), No.44, on 30 November 1812.A History of the Mason Lodge of Holyrood House (St.Luke's), No.44, holding of the Grand Lodge of Scotland with Roll of Members, 1734-1934, by Robert Strathern Lindsay, W.S., Edinburgh, 1935. Vol.II, p.603.

References

External links

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Duff, Alexander 1777 births 1851 deaths Younger sons of earls British Army generals Royal Berkshire Regiment officers 37th Regiment of Foot officers Deputy lieutenants of Banffshire Lord-lieutenants of Elginshire Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies UK MPs 1826–1830 UK MPs 1830–1831 Duff family