Eliot was born at
Lamesley in Durham, son of Peter Elliott of Lamesley, schoolmaster, by his wife Margaret. He changed the spelling of his surname to Eliot. Matriculating at the rather late age of twenty-six at
St. John's College, Cambridge, in 1865, he graduated B.A. in 1869 as
second wrangler and first
Smith's prizeman. Soon elected to a fellowship, he accepted, owing to weak health and with a view to avoiding the climate of England, the professorship of mathematics at the Engineering College at
Roorkee in the
North-West Provinces, under the Indian government. In 1872 he was transferred to the regular Indian Educational Service as professor of mathematics at the
Muir Central College, Allahabad. With that office was combined that of superintendent of the Meteorological Observatory. In 1874 he migrated to
Calcutta as professor of physical science in the
Presidency College and meteorological reporter to the government of
Bengal. In 1886, he succeeded
Henry Francis Blanford as meteorological reporter to the government of India and was appointed in addition director-general of Indian observatories in 1899. Blanford had established a link between snowfall in the Himalayas and the intensity of the monsoons. Famine years were preceded by heavy snowfall in the Himalayas. Eliot took this further by examining correlations between the monsoons and weather in other parts of the world. Eliot however did not use numerical approaches to examine these relations and believed for instance that a high pressure over Mauritius contributed to the intensity of the monsoons. Based on such ideas he began to produce monsoon forecasts that ran to nearly 30 pages. In 1899, his prediction of higher than normal rains led to considerable embarrassment for the government as India suffered a famine. Reviews in the newspapers led to subsequent predictions being issued as confidential reports to the government. Eliot however improved the organisation of meteorological work in India that had been begun by Blanford. "''The number of observatories working under or in connection with the department was increased from 135 to 240 (including two at an elevation of over 11,000 ft.) and the co-operation of the larger native states was secured. Under Sir John Eliot's superintendence the diffusion of weather information was extended by the issue of frequent reports at various centres. Methods of giving warnings of storms at sea were developed and telegraphic intimations of impending floods to engineers on large works under construction or in charge of railway canals and bridges saved the state from heavy losses. Vast improvement was effected in the mode of announcing . . . prospective drought and consequent danger of famine over greater or lesser areas.''" Eliot was elected fellow of the
Royal Society in 1895, and was made
ClE in 1897. His last official step in India was to secure for his successor the increase of the scientific staff of which he had himself felt the need. He retired from India in 1903 and was created KCIE in the
1903 New Year Honours. On his return to England he actively pursued his meteorological work. He joined the committee of management of the Solar Physics Observatory at
South Kensington under the board of education. He was a member of the
International Meteorological Committee from 1896 till his death. He was also secretary of the solar commission, suggested by Sir
Norman Lockyer to the International Meteorological Committee which met at
Southport in 1903. The purpose of the committee was to collect comparable meteorological data from all parts of the world and solar data for comparison with them. At the British Association meeting at
Cambridge in 1904 he presided over the subsection for astronomy and cosmical physics, and there advocated the organisation of meteorological work upon an imperial basis and an imperial provision "
for organised observations from areas too wide to be within the control of any single government." Eliot was an accomplished musician, he played well on both the organ and the piano. He married Mary, daughter of William Nevill FGS, of Godalming in 1877. He died suddenly of
apoplexy on 18 March 1908 at Bon Porto, the estate which he had acquired for his wife's health at Var in the south of France. He was buried within his own estate. Three sons survived him. == Contributions to meteorology ==