Sir Arthur Havelock | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President of Nevis | |
| In office 6 April 1877 – 1878 | |
| Preceded by | Roger Goldsworthy |
| Succeeded by | Charles Spencer Salmon |
| Governor of Sierra Leone | |
| In office 27 June 1881 – September 1884 | |
| Monarch | Queen Victoria |
| Preceded by | SirSamuel Rowe |
| Succeeded by | Sir Samuel Rowe |
| 35th Governor of Trinidad | |
| In office 24 January 1885 – 1885 | |
| Preceded by | Sir Sanford Freeling |
| Succeeded by | William Robinson |
| Governor of Natal | |
| In office 18 February 1886 – 5 June 1889 | |
| Monarch | Queen Victoria |
| Preceded by | Sir Henry Bulwer |
| Succeeded by | Sir Charles Mitchell |
| 17th Governor of Ceylon | |
| In office 28 May 1890 – 24 October 1895 | |
| Monarch | Queen Victoria |
| Preceded by | Arthur Hamilton-Gordon |
| Succeeded by | Edward Noël Walker (Acting governor) |
| Governor of Madras Presidency | |
| In office 18 March 1896 – 28 December 1900 | |
| Preceded by | Lord Wenlock |
| Succeeded by | Lord Ampthill |
| Governor of Tasmania | |
| In office 8 November 1901 – 16 April 1904 | |
| Monarch | Edward VII |
| Preceded by | Viscount Gormanston |
| Succeeded by | Gerald Strickland |
| 4thAdministrator of Saint Lucia | |
| In office December 1878 – December 1879 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | William Des Vœux |
| Succeeded by | Sir Roger Goldsworth |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1844-05-07)7 May 1844 |
| Died | 25 June 1908(1908-06-25) (aged 64) Bath, Somerset, England |
| Spouse | Anne Grace Norris |
| Relations | Sir Henry Havelock (uncle) |
| Alma mater | Royal Military College, Sandhurst |
Sir Arthur Elibank Havelock,GCSI, GCMG, GCIE (7 May 1844 – 25 June 1908) was a career British colonial governor, serving as Governor ofSierra Leone from 1880, ofNatal, ofMadras, ofCeylon from 1890 to 1895, and ofTasmania from 1901 to 1904.
Havelock was born in 1844 inBath, Somerset, the fifth surviving son of Lieutenant-ColonelWilliam Havelock and Caroline Elizabeth Chaplin, and the nephew ofSir Henry Havelock. The family moved toIndia in 1844, where his father commanded the14th Light Dragoons but was killed in action at theBattle of Ramnagar on 22 November 1848. The Havelocks returned to England briefly, but settled inOotacamund in 1850, where Havelock attended school until he completed his education inLondon.[1]
In 1860, Havelock entered theRoyal Military College, Sandhurst, and on 14 January 1862 was gazetted anensign in the32nd (Cornwall) Light Infantry. He was promotedlieutenant on 10 April 1866, and was stationed atGibraltar (1866–7), atMauritius (1867–8), then at theCape Colony (1868–72). He returned to Mauritius in 1872 as the colony'spaymaster, and was promoted tocaptain on 1 February 1873, serving asaide-de-camp to Selby Smith, the acting governor, and later to thegovernor of Mauritius,Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon.[1]
Havelock held several key posts in the colonial civil service from 1874: chiefcivil commissioner of theSeychelles (1874–75), andcolonial secretary andreceiver general inFiji (1874–75). He returned to England in 1876, and retired from theBritish Army as a captain in March 1877.[1]
Havelock joined the colonial civil service upon leaving the army, and was sent to theWest Indies in 1877 asPresident of Nevis. In 1878, he was transferred toSaint Lucia as the colony'sAdministrator, before returning to theSeychelles as Chief Civil Commissioner.
In February 1881, Havelock was assigned his first governorship inSierra Leone and theWest African settlements. In addition, he was appointed British consul toLiberia, and became involved in a major border dispute between Liberia andGreat Britain. The border between Sierra Leone and Liberia had been unsettled for years, the disputed area – lying between theSewa and theMano rivers – known as theGallinas territory. On 20 March 1882, Havelock led a flotilla of four British gunboats to the Liberian capitalMonrovia, issuing a demand that Liberia cede all territories up to theMafa River, and pay an indemnity of £8,500 to British merchants for injuries inflicted by tribes inhabiting the area of the British claim. A treaty was signed, but its ratification was refused by theLiberian Senate, and Havelock and his gunboats returned to Monrovia in September that year, demanding immediate acknowledgement of the British claims, and ratification of the treaty.[1]
The senate refused once more, and the British quietly occupied the claimed territory in March 1883. Despite the support of theUnited States, Liberia realised that resisting the British claim was futile, and signed the treaty in London on 22 November 1885.[2] The border was finally settled in 1903 by a mixed commission from both countries.[1]
In 1885, Havelock was appointedGovernor of Trinidad.[1]
In 1886, Havelock becameGovernor of Natal, where he dealt with theannexation ofZululand in 1887, and an unsuccessful rebellion led byDinuzulu kaCetshwayo in 1888. He returned to England in 1889, and served on the international anti-slavery commission inBrussels.[1]
In March 1890, Havelock was appointed Governor of Ceylon (nowSri Lanka),[3] where his actions included extendingthe country's railways toKurunegala andBandarawela, and abolishing the 'paddy tax', a levy on rice cultivation.[4] He was also held in great esteem among the aristocracy of Sri Lanka, with two prominent families appointing him Godfather to the heirs. One such godson was the grandson of Muadliya Solomnon Carolis de Fonseka while the other was the son of Solomon Dias Bandaranaike. The de Fonseka family named their estate Havelock from its original name Katukele Greenlands, along with various parts of their large estate (now Havelocktown) after Havelock, these include Elibank road and Havelock Pass (now forming the bridge).[citation needed]
Havelock returned to his childhood home of India asGovernor of Madras from 1896 to 1900.[1]
Havelock left Madras in 1901, and was offered the governorships of theStraits Settlements inMalaya andVictoria inAustralia, which he declined due to ill health caused by many stressful years in tropical climates. He was then offered the post ofGovernor of Tasmania, which he accepted in May 1901,[5] arriving inHobart to be sworn in on 8 November.[6] His health, however, continued to decline and he made the decision to cut short his term as governor to only two-and-a-half years. He notified the premier,William Propsting, of his resignation on 6 January 1904, and leftTasmania on 16 April.[7]
Havelock returned toEngland, and retired toTorquay,Devon.[8]
On 15 August 1871, Havelock had married Anne Grace, née Norris, who died in early 1908.Havelock himself died atBath,Somerset less than six months later on 25 June 1908. He was survived by a daughter.[7]
The Havelock Bridge spanningGodavari River atRajahmundry,India was named after him in the year 1900.[11]
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of Nevis 1877–1878 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Administrator of Saint Lucia 1878–1879 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Sierra Leone 1881–1884 | Succeeded by Sir Samuel Rowe |
| Preceded by | Governor of Trinidad 1885 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Natal 1886–1889 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Ceylon 1890–1895 | Succeeded by Edward Noël Walker acting governor |
| Preceded by | Governor of Madras 1896–1900 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Tasmania 1901–1904 | Succeeded by |
| Lieutenant-Governors ofVan Diemen's Land |  | |
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| BeforeFederation | ||
| AfterFederation | ||
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| National | |
| People | |
