Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton

Who was Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton?

Edward Robert Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton, GCB, GCSI, GCIE, PC was an English statesman and poet. He served as Viceroy of India between 1876 and 1880, including during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, 1878–1880 and the Great Famine of 1876–78.

An accomplished and popular diplomat, Lytton was afforded the rare tribute - especially for an Englishman - of a state funeral in Paris. While some have questioned his handling of the Indian famine, his diplomatic career was otherwise highly praised and his son, Victor Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton, followed him to India as Governor of Bengal and, for a time, as acting Viceroy.