Hugh Binney
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Thomas Hugh Binney | |
16th Governor of Tasmania
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In office December 24, 1945 – May 8, 1951 |
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Preceded by | Sir Ernest Clark |
Succeeded by | The Rt Hon. Sir Ronald Cross |
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Born | December 9, 1883 Douglas, Isle of Man, England United Kingdom |
Died | January 8, 1953 Colchester, Essex, England United Kingdom |
Admiral Sir Thomas Hugh Binney KCB, KCMG, DSO (December 9, 1883 – January 8, 1953) was a British naval officer and administrator who was Governor of Tasmania from 1945 to 1953.
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[edit] Early life
Binney was born in Douglas, Isle of Man, England in 1825, the son of Thomas Godfrey Binney and his wife, Susan Lockhart.
[edit] Naval career
Binney was determined to pursue a career with the Royal Navy from an early age, and joined the training vessel HMS Britannia at Dartmouth at the age of 13.
He served at sea from 1899 until 1914, and was then aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth as a gunnery officer for the Dardanelles Campaign. Binney had been promoted to the rank of Commander by 1916, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1919. He was made Captain whilst on the China Station in 1922.
Between the wars Binney served on various vessels, including HMS Hawkins, HMS Nelson, and HMS Hood.
He became Rear Admiral in 1934, and as of 1936, he commanded the 1st Battle Squadron, Mediterranean Fleet. When World War II broke out, he was in charge of the Imperial Defence College in London. He served as flag officer (ashore), Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands, Scotland, and was made Admiral in 1942. He then served as flag officer-in-charge, in Cardiff before retiring from the navy in 1945.
[edit] Governor of Tasmania
Following his retirement from the navy, Hugh Binney was chosen to replace Ernest Clark as Governor of Tasmania, a post he took up on December 24, 1945. He excelled at the post, and was a popular governor. Despite this, his governorship was not a quiet one. He oversaw the Robert Cosgrove government forced to call an early election in 1948 due to the Legislative Council rejecting the supply bill. He again dissolved the second Cosgrove government in 1950 due to the retirement of speaker of the house, W.G. Wedd in protest at the appointment of Thomas D'Alton as Agent General for Tasmania.
The Binney's both engaged themselves in the Tasmanian way of life, and were both involved in many social organisations. Hugh Binney was a member of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, and won the Derwent Sailing Pennant in 1951. He retired as Governor on May 8, 1951 and immediately returned to England.
[edit] Later life
Hugh Binney was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (C.B.) in 1935, and was elevated to Knight Commander to the Order of the Bath (K.C.B) in 1940. He married Elizabeth Bride Blair-Imrie at the parish church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London on October 31, 1942, but they were never to have children. Sir Hugh Binney was elevated to Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1951, and following surgery for cholecystitis, he died of pulmonary embolism on January 8, 1953.
[edit] References
Government offices | ||
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Preceded by Sir Ernest Clark |
Governor of Tasmania 1945–1953 |
Succeeded by Ronald Cross |
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