John Bates Thurston

Sir John Bates Thurston (1836–1897) was a British colonial official who served Fiji in a variety of capacities, including Premier of the Kingdom of Viti (before the islands were ceded to the United Kingdom) and later as colonial Governor.

Early life

John Bate was born in London, England in 1836, where he received an elementary education before pursuing a nautical career. He eventually became a sheep farmer in Australia. In 1864, he joined a botanising expedition to the South Sea Islands and was wrecked on Samoa.

Political Life in Fiji

In 1869 he became Consul for Fiji and Tonga.

In June 1871, Thurston, then Britain's honorary consul, forged a "marriage of convenience" between the Bauan chief Seru Epenisa Cakobau and the British settlers. He persuaded the Fijian chiefs to surrender the independence of their fiefdoms and accept a constitutional monarchy with Cakobau as king, but with real power in the hands of a cabinet and legislature dominated by settlers. The arrangement was not particularly successful. Within months, government overspending had led to the accumulation of an unmanageable debt which led to economic and social unrest.

In 1872, Thurston approached the British government, at Cakobau's request, with offer to cede the islands to the United Kingdom. (An earlier offer almost two decades earlier had been turned down). The British were much more inclined to annex Fiji now than they had been previously. The murder of Bishop John Patteson of the Melanesian Mission at Nukapu in the Reef Islands had provoked public outrage, which was compounded by the massacre by crew members of more than 150 Fijians on board the brig Carl.

Two British commissioners were sent to Fiji to investigate the possibility of an annexation. The negotiations were concluded with Thurston himself acting as Premier, from 23 March to 10 October 1874, when Cakobau and his fellow-chiefs formally ceded the archipelago to the United Kingdom.

Thurston later served as Colonial Secretary. In this capacity, he persuaded the Colonial Sugar Refining Company to extend its operations into Fiji by providing it with 2,000 acres (8.1 km²) of land to establish its plantations.

In February 1888, Thurston became Governor of Fiji, a position he held till he died on 7 February 1897.

Botanical Contributions

John Thurston was also responsible for the establishment of Suva Botanical Gardens, later named Thurston Gardens in his honour. Thurston's Palm (Pritchardia thurstonii) is named after him.

References

• New York Times - article on John Thurston's Death
• Probert Encyclopedia on John Bates Thurston