James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury, GCB (21 April 1746 – 21 November 1820) was an English diplomat. Early life (1746 – 1768) Born at Salisbury, the son of James Harris, an MP and the author of Hermes, and Elizabeth Clarke of Sandford, Somerset. He was educated at Winchester, Oxford and Law and History at the University of Leiden (1765-1767). Early diplomatic career: Spain (1768 – 1771) Harris arrived in Spain in December 1768 and became secretary to the British embassy at Madrid, and was left as chargé d'affaires at that court on the departure of Sir James Grey in August 1769 until the arrival of George Pitt, afterwards Lord Rivers. This interval gave him his opportunity; he discovered the intention of Spain to attack the Falkland Islands, and was instrumental in thwarting it by putting on a bold countenance. As a reward he was appointed minister ad interim at Madrid. Envoy-extraordinary in Berlin (1772 – 1776) In January 1772 Harris was appointed envoy-extraordinary to Prussia in Berlin, arriving on 21 February. Within a month of his arrival he became the first diplomat to hear of Frederick the Great's partition of Poland with the cooperation of Russia. His service in this office was undistinguished but he made an impression on Frederick, who requested that he be reappointed. Marriage (1777) Harris married Harriet Maria Amyand (1761 – 20 August 1830), the youngest daughter of Sir George Amyand MP (1720 – 1766) and Anna Maria Korteen, and sister of Anna Maria Amyand, who married Sir Gilbert Elliot (later Lord Minto). They had four children together: Lady Frances Harris (d. 1 November 1847) m. General Galbraith Lowry Cole Lady Catherine Harris (d. December 1855) m. General Sir John Bell James Edward Harris, 2nd Earl of Malmesbury (19 August 1778 - 10 September 1841) Rev. Hon. Thomas Alfred Harris (24 March 1782 - 15 December 1823) m. Maria Markham, daughter of Very Rev. George Markham Envoy-extraordinary in St Petersburg (1777 – 1783) In autumn of 1777, Harris travelled to Russia to be envoy-extraordinary to Russia, an office he held until September 1783. At St Petersburg he made his reputation, for he managed to get on with Catherine II, in spite of her predilections for France, and steered adroitly through the accumulated difficulties of the first Armed Neutrality. He was made a Knight of the Bath at the end of 1778; but in 1782 he