Earl of Evelyn Baring Cromer

Born in Norfolk on February 26, 1841, Evelyn Baring was educated for the army and began his career in the Royal Artillery before moving into imperial administration. He served in India, then took on financial and political roles in Egypt, where his reputation quickly grew.

Baring is best known for his long tenure in Egypt as British agent and consul-general from 1883 to 1907. In that post he exercised enormous influence over the country’s government and finances during the British occupation, and his rule left a deep mark on Egypt’s modernization as well as on the history of empire.

Created Earl of Cromer, he later returned to public life in Britain and wrote books including Modern Egypt. He died in London on January 29, 1917, and remains a significant, if controversial, figure in the history of British imperial rule.