John Bates Thurston

Sir John Bates Thurston KCMG
High Commissioner for the Western Pacific
In office 1888–1897
Preceded by	Charles Mitchell
Succeeded by	George O'Brien
Governor of Fiji
In office 1888–1897
Preceded by	Charles Mitchell
Succeeded by	George O'Brien
Personal details
Born	31 January 1836 London, United Kingdom
Died	7 February 1897(1897-02-07) (aged 61) Suva, Fiji

Sir John Bates Thurston KCMG (31 January 1836 - 7 February 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

Thurston was born on 31 January 1936 in London, England, where he received an elementary education before pursuing a nautical career in 1850. In 1855 he became first officer, but shortly afterwards was struck down by cholera and was sent to Australia to recover. He became a sheep farmer with a friend, but in 1862 the farm was destroyed by a flood. In 1864, he joined a botanising expedition to the South Sea Islands and was wrecked on Samoa for 18 months, before being rescued and bought to Fiji.

Political life in Fiji

Shortly after his arrival in Fiji he was employed by the British Consulate. In 1869 he became acting 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.

1879 Thurston became the secretary to the high commissioner.

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

Botanical contributions

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.

Personal life

He married, first, about 1866, a French lady, Madame de Lavalatte; secondly, on 14 Jan. 1883, Amelia, daughter of John Berry of Albury, New South Wales, who, with three sons and two daughters, survived him. The British government granted Lady Thurston a civil list pension in consideration of her husband's services, and the government of Fiji a pension of 50l. to each of the five children during minority.

In 1895 Thurston's health gave way, and he came to England on leave. Returning to his post in 1896, he died at Suva in February 1897. Sir John Bates Thurston is buried in Melbourne General Cemetery and his grave site has its upkeep paid by the Fiji Government. He became C.M.G. in 1880, and K.C.M.G. in 1887; he was a fellow of the Linnean and Geographical societies.

References

• New York Times - article on John Thurston's Death
• Probert Encyclopedia on John Bates Thurston
•  "Thurston, John Bates". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.