George Eden was born in 1784 near Beckenham in Kent, the second son of William Eden, first Baron Auckland. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, graduating with an MA in 1808, and was admitted to the bar in 1809. On the death of his elder brother, the MP for Woodstock, in 1810, he took his brother's seat in the House of Commons and was re-elected for Woodstock in 1813. In 1814, he succeeded his father as second Baron Auckland, taking a seat in the House of Lords as a supporter of the Whig Party. In 1830, Eden was appointed president of the Board of Trade and Master of the Mint. He served briefly as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1834 until 1835 when he was appointed Governor-General of India. An excellent administrator, he introduced reforms in education and initiated famine relief in India but his desire to expand British trade and influence in central Asia led to a disastrous military campaign in Afghanistan.
In 1839, Eden was created Lord Eden of Norwood, Surrey, and first Earl of Auckland. Recalled to England, he was replaced in office by Lord Ellenborough in 1842. In 1846, he was again appointed Lord of the Admiralty, holding this office until his death on 1 January 1849 near Alresford, Hampshire.
From the guide to the Earl of Auckland collection, 1847, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)
