Sir Frederick Aloysius Weld,
GCMGThe Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent whilst he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III. It is named in honour of two military saints, St. Michael and St...
(1823 – 1891), was a
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
politician and a governor of various British colonies. He was the sixth person to serve as
Premier of New ZealandThe Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
, and later served as
GovernorThe Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
of
Western AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. Australia's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.2 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state.The state's capital...
,
GovernorThe Governor of Tasmania is the representative in the Australian state of Tasmania of Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as the Governor-General of Australia does at the national level.In accordance with the...
of
TasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is located south of the eastern side of the continent, from which it is separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania – the 26th largest island in the world – and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 500,000 ,...
, and Governor of the Straits Settlements.
Early life
Weld was born near
BridportBridport is a market town in Dorset, England. Located near the coast at the western end of Chesil Beach at the confluence of the rivers Brit and its Asker and Simene tributaries, it originally thrived as a fishing port and rope-making centre...
,
DorsetDorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town has been Dorchester since at least 1305, situated in the south of the county at . Between its extreme points Dorset measures from east to west and north to south, and has an area of...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, on 9 May 1823. His mother, Maria Christina Clifford, was the daughter of
Charles CliffordSir Charles Clifford, 1st Baronet was a New Zealand politician. He was the first Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, serving from 1854 to 1860.-Early life:...
, 6th Baron Clifford of Chudleigh. Both of his parents were from old recusant Catholic families.
His father, Humphrey Weld, was the brother of
Thomas WeldThomas Weld , who came to Boston on 5 June 1632 on the "William and Francis", was a Puritan emigrant from England and the first minister of the First Church in Roxbury, Massachusetts from 1632 to 1641....
, founder of the
JesuitThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic religious order of clerks regular whose members are called Jesuits.Jesuits are the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church, with 18,815 members—13,305 priests, 2,295 scholastic students, 1,758 brothers and 827 novices—as of January 2008, although the...
college at
StonyhurstStonyhurst College is an independent, Roman Catholic school in the Jesuit tradition. It is located on the Stonyhurst Estate near Clitheroe in rural Lancashire, England, where it occupies a Grade I listed building....
. Weld's upbringing was strongly grounded in the
CatholicThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
faith. His early years were spent with his parents in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
. Later, he received a good education, studying at Stonyhurst before attending the
University of FribourgThe University of Fribourg is a university in the city of Fribourg, Switzerland.It was founded in 1889 by local businessman Georges Python, although the origins of the university can be traced to 1580 with the foundation of the Jesuit Seminary of St. Michel. Courses in this University are given in...
in
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
, where he studied
philosophyPhilosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing these questions by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on reasoned...
,
chemistryChemistry is the science concerned with the composition, behavior, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions...
,
languageA language is a system for encoding and decoding information. In its most common use, the term refers to so-called "natural languages" — the forms of communication considered peculiar to humankind. In linguistics the term is extended to refer to the human cognitive facility of creating and using...
s and
lawLaw is a system of rules, usually enforced through a set of institutions. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a primary social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus ticket to trading on derivatives markets...
. He had originally intended to pursue a military career, but was convinced otherwise by his tutor at Fribourg. He instead decided to seek a career in the colonies, and arrived in
WellingtonWellington is the capital of New Zealand, at the southwestern tip of the North Island between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. The Wellington urban area is the major population centre of the southern North Island and is New Zealand's third most populous urban area with residents. There are ...
,
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
, on 22 April 1844.
In New Zealand, he entered a partnership with his cousin, Charles Clifford, 1st Baronet Clifford, of Flaxbourne. The two established a number of sheep stations around the country, and Weld became relatively prosperous. Weld found a life of agricultural management to be too mundane, however, and soon became active in political concerns. One of his more significant campaigns was to ward against any potential discrimination against Catholics in New Zealand. He later became active in lobbying for representative government in New Zealand.
In 1848, Weld declined an offer by the governor, Sir
George GreyGeorge Grey may refer to:*Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet , British politician*George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent*George Grey , Governor of Cape Colony, South Australia and New Zealand*George Grey , Canadian cross-country Skier...
, of a seat on a proposed nominee council. In 1852 he visited England, where he published a pamphlet,
Hints to Intending Sheep Farmers in New Zealand, which ran into three editions.
Member of Parliament
When the creation of the New Zealand Parliament was announced, Weld stood for election. He became a member of the
1st ParliamentThe 1st New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 24 May 1854, following New Zealand's first general election...
as the representative of Wairau, an electorate in the northeast of the
South IslandThe South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
. The main political division of the day was between "centralists" (favouring a strong central government) and "provincialists" (favouring strong regional governments). On this spectrum, Weld established himself as a moderate centralist, although he tended to oppose the extremes of either side.
Weld was also a member of the brief "cabinet" formed around
James FitzGeraldJames Edward FitzGerald was a New Zealand politician. According to some historians, he should be considered the country's first Prime Minister, although a more conventional view is that neither he nor his successor should properly be given that title...
. This represented an attempt by Parliament to assume direct responsibility for administering New Zealand. Acting
GovernorThe Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the Sovereign in right of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state.The Constitution Act 1986 provides that a "The Governor-General...
Robert WynyardSir Robert Henry Wynyard was a New Zealand colonial administrator, serving at various times as Lieutenant Governor of New Ulster Province, Administrator of the Government, and Superintendent of Auckland Province....
managed to block this move, however, and Weld's role as a "minister" came to an end. Despite the failure of the FitzGerald "cabinet", Weld was pleased that Catholics were able to participate fully in politics. The fact that
Charles CliffordSir Charles Clifford, 1st Baronet was a New Zealand politician. He was the first Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, serving from 1854 to 1860.-Early life:...
, also a Catholic, had become
SpeakerIn New Zealand the Speaker of the House of Representatives is the individual who chairs the country's legislative body, the New Zealand House of Representatives...
was also encouraging to him.
Weld resigned from Parliament a short while before the end of its first term, returning to England for a brief time. When he returned, he was elected to the
2nd ParliamentThe 2nd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 15 April 1856, following New Zealand's 1855 election. It was dissolved on 5 November 1860 in preparation for 1860 election...
, again representing Wairau. He briefly returned to England again to marry a distant cousin, Filumena Mary Anne Lisle Phillipps, with whom he would have thirteen children.
Cabinet minister
In 1860, Weld was invited to join
Edward StaffordEdward Stafford may refer to:*Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham , brother of Henry VIII's mistress Anne Stafford, executed for treason*Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire...
's government, taking over responsibility for Native Affairs from
William RichmondChristopher William Richmond , generally called William Richmond, was a 19th century New Zealand politician. He held a number of Cabinet positions between 1856 and 1861.Richmond was probably born in London on 12 July 1821...
. In this role, Weld had to contend with conflicts such as the
First Taranaki WarThe First Taranaki War was an armed conflict over land ownership and sovereignty that took place between Māori and the New Zealand Government in the Taranaki district of New Zealand's North Island from March 1860 to March 1861....
. Although Weld disliked the prospect of war, and believed that Governor
George GreySir George Grey, KCB was a soldier, explorer, Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Governor of Cape Colony , Premier of New Zealand and a writer.-Early life and exploration:...
had mishandled the situation, he believed strongly in the need to assert the power of the government, describing it as a "painful duty". Weld lost his ministerial position when the Stafford administration was defeated.
In 1864 (by which time Weld was representing Cheviot, formed from the southern half of his old Wairau seat), the government of
Frederick WhitakerSir Frederick Whitaker, KCMG was an English-born New Zealand politician who served twice as Premier of New Zealand and six times as Attorney-General.-Early life:...
resigned due to disputes with the Governor. The point in question was who should bear responsibility for funding British troops stationed in New Zealand. Weld, believing that it was British ineptitude that caused conflict with the Māori in the first place, strongly objected to Grey's demands that Parliament should fund the troops. Weld instead believed that British troops should be removed from New Zealand altogether, and be replaced by local forces.
Premier of New Zealand
As Premier, Weld met with mixed success. In 1865 the capital was indeed moved to Wellington, and his proposals for Māori relations were adopted. These two things generated considerable bitterness, however — Aucklanders were angry about the change of capital, and Māori were angry about the confiscation of over a million acres (4,000 km²) of land in the
WaikatoWaikato is a Region of New Zealand. With coasts on the western and north-eastern sides of the North Island, it stretches from Lake Taupo and northern King Country in the south, north to the Coromandel Peninsula. It is bounded by Auckland on the north, Bay of Plenty on the east, Hawke's Bay on...
area. Weld's other success, the withdrawal of British troops from New Zealand, was also controversial, and generated considerable hostility from the Governor. In addition, the government's financial situation was precarious. A little less than a year after taking office, Weld's government resigned.
Colonial governorships
Weld, suffering from poor health and stress, retired from politics in 1866, and returned to England the following year. However his health improved, and he began working again. In 1869 he published
Notes on New Zealand Affairs, and in March of the same year he began a career as a British colonial governor with an appointment to the post of
governor of Western AustraliaThe Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
.
Governor of Western Australia
Weld arrived in
Western AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. Australia's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.2 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state.The state's capital...
in September, 1869. He immediately embarked on a series of tours of the state, which saw travel about 1,200 miles (1,900 km) on horseback in his first six months in office. Impressed by the state's isolation, he urged the establishment of telegraph lines and improvements to transportation. In March, 1870, he sent
John ForrestSir John Forrest GCMG was an Australian explorer, the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia's first federal parliament....
to explore and survey a possible route for a telegraph line between
AlbanyAlbany is located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, situated around a port on the southern coast.Its metropolitan area has a population of 25,196 as of the 2006 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state....
and
AdelaideAdelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth-largest city in Australia, with a population of more than 1.1 million. It is a coastal city situated on the eastern shores of Gulf St. Vincent, on the Adelaide Plains, north of the Fleurieu...
. This was later built, and by 1874, the state had more than 900 miles (1400 km) of operational telegraph line. Weld also oversaw the establishment of a steamship service along the coast, and the beginnings of a
railRail transport is the conveyance of passengers and goods by means of wheeled vehicles running along railways or railroads. Rail transport is part of the logistics chain, which facilitates international trade and economic growth...
system.
Weld saw his appointment to the governorship as a mandate to institute similar constitutional changes to that achieved in New Zealand. With the enthusiastic support of his
Colonial SecretaryThe Colonial Secretary of Western Australia was one of the most important and powerful public offices in Western Australia, in the time when Western Australia was a British colony. The Colonial Secretary was the representative of the British Colonial Office in Western Australia, and was usually...
Frederick BarleeSir Frederick Palgrave Barlee KCMG was Colonial Secretary of Western Australia from 1855 to 1875; Lieutenant-Governor of the British Honduras from 1877 to 1882; and Administrator of Trinidad in 1884....
, he set about promoting representative government. At the first opportunity, Weld introduced a Bill which provided for the election of 12
MembersFollowing are lists of members of the Western Australian Legislative Council:Prior to responsible government:*1832–1870*1870–1872*1872–1874*1874–1880*1880–1884*1884–1889*1889–1890*1890–1894After responsible government:...
of the
Legislative CouncilThe Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...
, to sit with six official and nominee members. The Bill was eventually passed on 1 June 1870. Barlee then began agitating for responsible government, and in 1874 the Legislative Council passed a resolution calling for it. Although Weld did not think that Western Australia was ready for responsible government, he accepted the situation and passed on the request to the
Colonial OfficeColonial Office is the government agency which serves to oversee and supervise their colony* Colonial Office - The British Government department* Office of Insular Affairs - the American government agency* Reichskolonialamt - the German Colonial Office...
in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
. The Colonial Office were strongly against granting responsible government, and were critical of Weld for allowing the situation to arise. In 1874, Weld went on leave to New Zealand to look after his partnership affairs. On this return, he was transferred to the post of Governor of Tasmania, and the issue of responsible government was dropped until 1890.
Other colonial governorships
Weld was Governor of Tasmania from 1875 to 1880. He found the role much less taxing than in Western Australia, as Tasmania already had responsible government and his main duty was to preside at meetings of the Executive Council. From 1880 to 1887, he was Governor of the Straits Settlements, consisting of
MalaccaMalacca is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south. The capital is Malacca Town...
,
PenangPenang is a state in Malaysia, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. Penang is the second smallest state in Malaysia after Perlis, and the eighth most populous...
, and
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
. Louch (1966) writes of Weld's seven years in Singapore: "It was there with his wealth of experience that he found the fullest scope for his talents as a colonial administrator, and where he is best remembered now." He was created CMG (1875), KCMG (1880) and GCMG (1885).
He was a devout Catholic all his life, and the
PopeThe pope is the Bishop of Rome and, as such, is leader of the worldwide Catholic Church...
made him a knight of the Order of St Pius.
Malay States Administration
In 1880, Sir Frederick Weld arrived in the
Straits SettlementsThe Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia.Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under direct British control as a crown colony on 1 April 1867...
. He began to take personal interest in the development of the
Malay StatesWithin Malaysia, the Malay states are the nine states of Peninsular Malaysia that have hereditary Rulers. In practice, these Rulers are figureheads and follow the principles of constitutional monarchy...
. In the middle of 1881, Weld visited the town of
TaipingTaiping is a town located in northern Perak, Malaysia, with a population of 191,104 , and holds the rank as second largest town in Perak after Ipoh, the state capital. Taiping took over Kuala Kangsar's role as the state capital from 1876 to 1937, but was then replaced by Ipoh...
, in
PerakPerak is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is the second largest state in Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor southward and to the west by the Strait of Malacca.Perak means silver in...
. He found "the revenue increasing and everything going on excellent well..." but "labour for public works and roads and to develop other industries and sources of revenue besides tin-mining," he lamented, "is the great want". he also reported that:
"Water supply for Taiping from the hill (Maxwell Hill), the roads to Krian, which will connect Taiping town centre with Province Wellesley, and a rail and tramway from Taiping to the port (
Port WeldKuala Sepetang is a coastal town located in Perak, Malaysia. The town was formerly known as Port Weld after a former Governor, Frederick Weld. It is a thriving fishing village, and the main jumping-off point to the river mouth community of Kuala Sanggar, which is a Chinese fishing community at the...
, which was named after him) are amongst the next most necessary works to be undertaken. the town of Taiping has been much improved since the fire, which took place rather more than a year ago; new streets have been laid out to considerable width, and a better class of houses has been built"
The construction of the Taiping - Port Weld railway was the beginning of a major transformation altering radically the landscape of the Malay Peninsula. It also brought the first influx of Indians (mainly Tamils) and Ceylonese to
PerakPerak is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is the second largest state in Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor southward and to the west by the Strait of Malacca.Perak means silver in...
. Sir Frederick Weld was in Taiping again in 1883 where he "inspected everything". He spent time going down the Port Weld railway line, then in the course of construction, "on a truck behind the Engine". He also put into effect plans to build a telegraph line along the road linking Taiping with Province Wellesley. It was nearing completion after which a railway along the same route would be constructed.
Later life
Weld finally retired from political life in 1887, although he remained active in other fields of work. In 1891, visiting the
Straits SettlementsThe Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia.Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under direct British control as a crown colony on 1 April 1867...
once again, he contracted a serious illness, and returned to England. He died in
ChideockChideock is a village in south west Dorset, England, situated between Bridport and Lyme Regis. The village has a population of 597 based on the 2001 census.Chideock is a village in the south-west region of Dorset between Bridport and Charmouth...
on 20 July 1891.
Places named after him
Port WeldKuala Sepetang is a coastal town located in Perak, Malaysia. The town was formerly known as Port Weld after a former Governor, Frederick Weld. It is a thriving fishing village, and the main jumping-off point to the river mouth community of Kuala Sanggar, which is a Chinese fishing community at the...
in
PerakPerak is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is the second largest state in Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor southward and to the west by the Strait of Malacca.Perak means silver in...
was named after him, later changed to Kuala Sepetang.
Weld Road and Upper Weld Road in
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
and Weld Quay in
PenangPenang is a state in Malaysia, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. Penang is the second smallest state in Malaysia after Perlis, and the eighth most populous...
are named after him.
Weld Road in
Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur , is the capital and largest city of Malaysia. The city proper, making up an area of , has an estimated population of 1.6 million in 2006. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
was named after Weld in 1960. In 1982 it was renamed Jalan Raja Chulan after
Raja ChulanRaja Chulan was a member of the Perak royal family....
.
Weld Road in Swan View, a suburb of
PerthPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. With a population of 1,650,000 , Perth ranks fourth amongst the nation's cities, with a growth rate consistently above the national average....
, Western Australia, is named after him.
Weld Hill in
Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur , is the capital and largest city of Malaysia. The city proper, making up an area of , has an estimated population of 1.6 million in 2006. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
was named after Weld and subsequently renamed Bukit Makahmah. It is now the site of Menara Maybank.