Henry Barkly

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Sir Henry Barkly GCMG KCB FRS (24 February 1815 – 20 October 1898) was a British politician and patron of the sciences.

Barkly was born in Monteagle, Rossshire, Scotland. He trained for commerce and follwed a business career before commencing his political career. He represented Leominster in the British House of Commons from 1845-48 and was later appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of British Guiana from 1849-1853. He then served three years as Governor of Jamaica (1853-1856).

In November 1856 Barkly was appointed governor of Victoria, Australia, arriving in Melbourne on 24 December 1856. He achieved one of his main goals of stable government with the appointment of the James McCulloch ministry. He was noted for his support of philanthropic and intellectual movements. He was a founder and president of the Royal Society of Victoria, 1860-63, and helped to found the National Gallery of Victoria, the Acclimatization Society and the National Observatory.

In 1863 he was appointed Governor of Mauritius, and in August 1870 he was sent to the Cape of Good Hope as Governor and as British High Commissioner in South Africa. He served in South Africa until 1877. He was involved with the Royal Commission on Colonial Defence in 1879.

He died in Brompton, Kensington, London on 20 October 1898 and is buried in Brompton Cemetery.

[edit] Honours

KCB ca 1855
Fellow of the Royal Society 1864
Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society 1870
GCMG 1874

[edit] See also

[edit] References

B. A. Knox, 'Barkly, Sir Henry (1815 - 1898)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 3, MUP, 1969, pp 95-96.
Barkly's grave in Brompton cemetery

Government offices
Preceded by William Walker (first time, acting)	Governor of British Guiana 1849 – 1853	Succeeded by William Walker (second time, acting)
Preceded by Sir Charles Edward Grey	Governor of Jamaica 1853 – 1856	Succeeded by Edward Wells Bell
Preceded by Sir Charles Hotham	Governor of Victoria 1856 – 1863	Succeeded by Sir Charles Darling
Preceded by unknown	Governor of Mauritius 1863 – 1870	Succeeded by unknown
Preceded by Charles Craufurd Hay (acting)	Governor of Cape Colony 1870 - 1877	Succeeded by Henry Bartle Frere