Charles_Mitchell_(colonial_administrator)
Charles Mitchell (colonial administrator)
Colonial Administrator
Sir Charles Bullen Hugh Mitchell GCMG (1836 – 7 December 1899) was a lieutenant-colonel in the Royal Marines, before joining the Colonial Service, in which he served in British Honduras, British Guiana, Natal. He then served as Governor of Fiji, of the British Colony of Natal & Zululand (1881–1882), and of the Straits Settlements (1 February 1894 to 7 December 1899).
Sir Charles Mitchell | |
|---|---|
Charles Mitchell | |
| 14th Governor of the Straits Settlements | |
| In office 1 February 1894 – 7 December 1899 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | William Edward Maxwell |
| Succeeded by | Sir James Alexander Swettenham (acting) |
| 7th Governor of Natal | |
| In office December 1889 – July 1893 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | Sir Arthur Havelock |
| Succeeded by | Francis Haden (acting) |
| Acting Governor of the Leeward Islands | |
| In office 1888–1888 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | Jenico Preston, 14th Viscount Gormanston |
| Succeeded by | Sir William Smith |
| 4th Governor of Fiji | |
| In office January 1887 – February 1888 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | Sir John Bates Thurston (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Sir John Thurston |
| 3rd High Commissioner for the Western Pacific | |
| In office January 1887 – February 1888 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | Sir John Bates Thurston (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Sir John Thurston |
| Acting Governor of Natal | |
| In office 22 December 1881 – 6 March 1882 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | Redvers Buller |
| Succeeded by | Sir Henry Bulwer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1836 London, United Kingdom |
| Died | 7 December 1899(1899-12-07) (aged 62–63) Singapore |
| Resting place | St. Andrew's Cathedral, Singapore |
| Citizenship | British |
| Spouse(s) | Fanny Rice (d.1885) Eliza Weldon, |
| Children | Hugh Mitchell |
| Profession | Colonial Administrator, Royal Marines officer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Branch/service |  Royal Marines |
| Years of service | 1852–1878 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant Colonel |
Military
Mitchell attended the Royal Naval School and joined the Royal Marines in 1852.[1] He served with them in the Baltic campaigns from 1854 to 1856.[1] He retired from the marines in 1878 as a lieutenant-colonel.[1]
Civil career
Mitchell begin his colonial career as Colonial Secretary of British Honduras in July 1868. He also administrated the Government in 1870, 1874 and 1876.[1]
Mitchell was the Receiver General in British Guiana in 1877 and followed by Colonial Secretary of Natal in November 1877. He was the Acting Governor of Natal in 1881, 1882 and 1885–1886.[1]
Mitchell was the Governor of Fiji between 1887 and 1888.[1]
Mitchell administered the Government of Natal and Zululand in 1889 and was eventually appointed as the Governor in the October of the same year.[1][2]
Mitchell was the Governor of the Straits Settlement between 1894 and 1899.[3][4]
Mitchell's first wife Fanny Rice died in 1885. He remarried to Eliza Weldon. He had a son, Colonel Hugh Mitchell of the Royal Marines.
Mitchell died on 7 December 1899, while in office as Governor of the Straits Settlements.[4] He was buried in St Andrew's Cathedral, Singapore, his tombstone was erected "To the glory of God and in memory of His Excellency Lieutenant Colonel Sir Charles Bullen Hugh Mitchell Royal Marine Light Infantry, G.C.M.G. Governor of the Colony who died in Singapore on 7 December 1899. This tablet is erected by the members of the Civil Service of the Straits Settlements."
Marines from HMS Hermione served as an honour guard and pallbearers for the Mitchell's funeral.[5]
Charles Mitchell was invested with Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG) in 1880,[6] Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1883[7] and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in 1895.[8]
Mitchell Park Zoo in Durban, South Africa is named after him.[9]
- "FRIDAY, 16th JUNE. The Governorship". Straits Times Weekly Issue. 20 June 1893. p. 6.
- "BRITISH COLONY OF NATAL". Archived from the original on 30 July 2009.
- "The Swearing-in Ceremony". Daily Advertiser. 1 February 1894. p. 3.
- "Sudden Death of H. E. the Governor". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. 7 December 1899. p. 3.
- North China Herald, 2 May 1900, p785
- "No. 24831". The London Gazette. 6 April 1880. p. 2431.
- "No. 25233". The London Gazette. 24 May 1883. p. 2731.
- "No. 26628". The London Gazette. 25 May 1895. pp. 3079–3080.
- "Mitchell Park Zoo". Archived from the original on 24 January 2010.
- William A. Shaw (2010). The Knights of England. a Complete Record from the Earliest Time to the Present Day of the Knights of All the Orders of Chivalry in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and of Knights Bachelors. Clearfield Company. ISBN 978-0-8063-5132-2.
- "Image of Sir Charles Mitchell". Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2008.
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byas Governor | Acting Governor of Natal 1881–1882 |
Succeeded by Sir Henry Bulwer as Governor |
| Preceded byas acting High Commissioner and Governor | High Commissioner for the Western Pacific 1887–1888 |
Succeeded by |
| Governor of Fiji 1887–1888 | ||
| Preceded byas Governor | Acting Governor of the Leeward Islands 1888 |
Succeeded byas Governor |
| Preceded by Sir Arthur Havelock |
Governor of Natal 1889–1893 |
Succeeded by Sir Francis Haden as acting Governor |
| Preceded byas acting Governor | Governor of the Straits Settlements 1894–1899 |
Succeeded byas acting Governor |
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