William Gordon Cornwallis Eliot, 4th Earl of St Germans was a British Politician, born at Port Eliot, Cornwall on December 14 1829 to Edward Granville Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans (August 29 1798 - October 7 1877) and his wife Jemima Cornwallis (December 24 1803 - July 2 1856).

He was educated at Eton College from 1842 - 1846, and served as:

• Attach&eacute at Hanover on September 6 1849
• Attach&eacute at Lisbon on July 14 1851
• 2nd Paid Attach&eacute at Berlin on November 29 1853
• 1st Paid Attach&eacute at Constantinople on March 9 1857
• 1st Paid Attach&eacute at St Petersburg on June 28 1858
• Secretary of Legation at Rio de Janeiro on August 8 1859
• Secretary of Legation at Athens on October 21 1859
• Legation of Lisbon from May 14 1860 to January 24 1861
• Reappointed Charg&eacute d'Affaires at Rio de Janeiro October 27 1861
• Acting Secretary of Legation at Washington DC from October 6 1863 to August 1864
• Secretary of Legation at Lisbon June 10 1864

William resigned on April 16 1865 and became Member of Parliament for Devonport from 1866 - 1868. He was summoned to the House of Lords as Lord Eliot on September 14 1870 and assumed the title of Earl of St Germans in 1877 on the death of his father Edward Granville Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans..

William died unmarried on March 19 1881 and his titles passed to his younger brother, Henry