Legacy
Coote is generally remembered for his victory at Wandiwash and capture of Pondicherry which were decisive moments in the struggle between Britain and France for dominance in India. Although he often quarrelled with other British officers and officials, Coote was adored by the sepoy troops under his command. Following his death a monument was erected to him in Westminster Abbey and another within West Park, Rockbourne, Hampshire. His nephew was Sir Eyre Coote, GCB who served as Governor General of India .
He married in 1769 a daughter of Charles Hutchinson, Governor of St. Helena. They had no children, and his property, worth over £200,000, was left to his brother, Doctor Charles Coote, dean of Kilfenora, in County Clare, Ireland. In his autobiography the American General and Secretary of State Colin Powell claims direct descent from Coote's identically named nephew Eyre Coote while he was serving as Governor of Jamaica, which has led to Powell sometimes being incorrectly referred to as a direct descendent of the elder General Coote.
Read more about this topic: Eyre Coote (East India Company Officer)
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“What is popularly called fame is nothing but an empty name and a legacy from paganism.”
—Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466–1536)