Sir Thomas Cochrane | |
|---|---|
 Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane | |
| Born | (1789-02-05)5 February 1789 |
| Died | 19 October 1872(1872-10-19) (aged 83) |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Service years | 1796–1856 |
| Rank | Admiral of the Fleet |
| Commands | HMSNimrod HMSJason HMSEthalion HMSSurprise HMSForte Governor ofNewfoundland East Indies and China Station Portsmouth Command |
| Conflicts | French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars War of 1812 First Opium War Anglo-Bruneian War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
Admiral of the FleetSir Thomas John Cochrane,GCB (5 February 1789 – 19 October 1872) was aRoyal Navy officer. After serving as a junior officer during theFrench Revolutionary Wars, he captured theFrench shipFavourite off the coast ofDutch Guiana and then took part in various actions including the capture of theVirgin Islands fromDanish forces, the capture of the French island ofMartinique and the capture of the Frencharchipelago ofÎles des Saintes during theNapoleonic Wars. He also took part in theburning of Washington and the attack onBaltimore during theWar of 1812.
Cochrane went on to serve ascolonial governor ofNewfoundland and then asMember of Parliament forIpswich before becoming Commander-in-Chief,East Indies and China Station and thenCommander-in-Chief, Portsmouth.
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Born the son of AdmiralSir Alexander Cochrane and Maria Cochrane (daughter of David Shaw and widow ofSir Jacob Wheate, 5th Baronet), Cochrane joined the Royal Navy in June 1796.[1] He was appointed as a first class volunteer to thefifth-rateHMSThetis on theNorth American Station and, having been promoted tomidshipman, transferred to thethird-rateHMSAjax in theChannel Squadron early in 1800.[2] In HMSAjax, he saw action supporting French Royalist exiles atQuiberon in spring 1800, escorting troops for an abortive landing atBelle Île in May 1800 and taking part in the equally unsuccessfulFerrol Expedition in August 1800, before landing troops inEgypt in preparation for the more successfulBattle of Alexandria in March 1801 during theFrench Revolutionary Wars.[2]
Cochrane transferred to the third-rateHMSNorthumberland, on the north coast of Spain, in early 1803 and, having been promoted tolieutenant on 14 June 1805, transferred to the fifth-rateHMSJason in theWest Indies, where his father was serving as Commander-in-ChiefLeeward Islands.[2] His rapid rise through the ranks clearly reflects his father'spatronage.[1]
Promoted tocommander on 24 September 1805, he became commanding officer of thesloopHMSNimrod in September 1805 and commanding officer of the fifth-rate HMSJason in January 1806.[2] In HMSJason, having been promoted tocaptain on 23 April 1806. He captured theFrench shipFavourite off the coast ofDutch Guiana in January 1807 and then took part in the capture of theVirgin Islands fromDanish forces in December 1807 during theNapoleonic Wars.[2] He became commanding officer of the fifth-rateHMSEthalion in October 1808 and took part in the capture of the French island ofMartinique in February 1809 and of the Frencharchipelago ofÎles des Saintes in April 1809.[2] He went on to command of the fifth-rateHMSSurprise on the North American Station in August 1812 and saw action capturing the American shipDecatur in January 1813, taking part in theburning of Washington in August 1814 and the attack onBaltimore in September 1814 and being deployed in operations off the coast ofGeorgia during theWar of 1812.[2] After that, he became commanding officer of the fifth-rateHMSForte in June 1820.[2]
WhenNewfoundland became an officialCrown colony in 1825, Cochrane was appointed as its first governor.[3] At the time, military officers were appointed to direct colonies that did not yet have representative government.[4] He directed the construction ofGovernment House, located betweenFort William and Fort Townshend, which has since been designated as aNational Historic Site of Canada.[5] He split the colony into three judicial districts over each of which he placed a chief justice and twopuisne judges and reinvigorated thepoor relief system by building roads.[6]
Although Cochrane had opposed the introduction ofrepresentative government to the colony, a newconstitution was granted in 1832 and he was appointed as the first civil governor.[4] He became involved in various conflicts while governor, especially with reformers in the new legislature and with theRoman Catholic bishop,Michael Fleming. In 1834, the colonial office recalled Cochrane, who had become unpopular. When he left, he and his daughter were pelted with filth on their way down to the wharf.[4]
Cochrane was electedMember of Parliament forIpswich inJuly 1839.[7] He went on to be second-in-command of theEast Indies and China Station in July 1841 during theFirst Opium War and, having been promoted torear admiral on 23 November 1841,[8] he became Commander-in-chief of that station, with his flag in the third-rateHMSAgincourt in 1844.[2] He took part in anti-piracy operations around north-westBorneo[9] including the destruction of the forts atBrunei in July 1846.[10] He was promoted tovice admiral on 14 January 1850[11] and becameCommander-in-Chief, Portsmouth in 1852.[12] Promoted to fulladmiral on 31 January 1856,[13] he was appointedVice-Admiral of the United Kingdom on 16 May 1863[14] and then promoted toAdmiral of the Fleet on 12 September 1865.[15]
He was appointed a Companion of theOrder of the Bath on 18 April 1839,[16] advanced to Knight Commander on 29 October 1847,[17] and finally to Knight Grand Cross on 18 May 1860.[18]
Cochrane died atQuarr Abbey House on theIsle of Wight on 19 October 1872 and was buried in the family mausoleum atKensal Green Cemetery in London. His wife died at Quarr Abbey House on 27 May 1901.[19] She was also buried at Kensal Green Cemetery, interred in the mausoleum alongside her husband. Survivors present at her funeral included her brother Major Cuffe, her son Lieutenant Thomas Belhaven Henry Cochrane (deputy governor of the Isle of Wight), her husband's two daughters by his first marriage, and their daughter Minna Cochrane.[19]
In January 1812, Cochrane married Matilda Lockhart-Ross, daughter of Lieutenant General Sir Charles Ross. They had two sons, includingAlexander Dundas Ross Cochrane, and two daughters.[1]
After the death of his first wife, he married Rosetta Wheler-Cuffe (daughter ofSir Jonah Denny Wheler-Cuffe, 1st Baronet) in January 1853; they had two sons (including Thomas Belhaven Henry Cochrane) and two daughters (including DameAnne Cochrane).[12]
mundy.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Governor of Newfoundland 1825–1834 | Succeeded by |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forIpswich 1839–1841 With:Fitzroy Kelly | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, East Indies and China Station 1844–1846 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth 1852–1856 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom 1863–1865 | Succeeded by |
