Alexander Colville, 7th Lord Colville of Culross

Rear-Admiral Alexander Colville, 7th Lord Colville of Culross (also spelled Colvill; 28 February 1717 – 21 May 1770) served as the Commodore and Commander in Chief of His Majesty's Ships and Vessels in North America from 1757 to 1762.

Colville contributed to British success in the North American seas and the battles of the Seven Years' War of 1756–1763. He was a prolific writer of detailed letters to other military leaders, his family, the King, and others. These letters are historically important, and are extant on both sides of the Atlantic.

Early career Colville joined the Royal Navy as a volunteer in 1732. In 1739 he was present at the sieges of Portobelo in Panama and of Cartagena in Colombia during the War of Jenkins' Ear. He returned to England with Boscawen, spent the winter there, and came out to Louisbourg again in the spring of 1759, arriving on 14 May still in command of the Northumberland.

Siege of Quebec He served at the siege of Quebec as part of Rear-Admiral Philip Durell's force of great ships which patrolled the Gulf of St. Lawrence during the campaign. On 16 October 1759, Colville was appointed by Vice-Admiral Charles Saunders, to the position of Commander-in-Chief in North America with the rank of commodore. he participated in the "Burying the Hatchet ceremony" that was held at Governor Jonathan Belcher's garden on present-day Spring Garden, Halifax, in front of the Court House. The ceremony ended seventy years of warfare between the Mi'kmaq and the British.

Relief of St. John's, Newfoundland He went to the relief of St. John's, Newfoundland, in August 1762. Finally he got back to England in the autumn of that year and was promoted Rear-Admiral of the White on 21 October 1762. In January 1763 he took over from Rear Admiral Philip Durell as Port Admiral at Plymouth.

Return to Halifax After less than a year in the United Kingdom Colville was again appointed to the North American Station in June 1763. He sailed in on 31 August 1763 and arrived in Halifax on 13 October. He remained there for the next three years thus establishing a record for command of the station. Little of importance occurred during these years and the Admiral's dispatches report that his main concerns were smuggling and desertion.

Successors Lord Colville was succeeded by Vice-Admiral of the Blue, Philip Durell, but the latter died on 26 August 1766 just four days after his arrival at Halifax. However, this melancholy event did not delay Colville in his departure. He sailed for England on 5 September leaving instructions for Captain Joseph Deane of to take command until the arrival of a new Commander-in-Chief.

Death of Colville Colville apparently held no other command and received no further promotion. He died at Drumsheugh in Scotland on 21 May 1770, aged 53.