Sir George Ferguson Bowen GCMG (2 November 1821 – 21 February 1899) was a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
colonialIn politics and in history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their...
administrator whose appointments included postings to the
Ionian IslandsThe Ionian Islands are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called "Eptanisa", i.e...
,
Queensland (Australia)Queensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
,
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...
,
Victoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, across the Bass Strait. Victoria is the most densely populated state, with over 70% of...
,
MauritiusMauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar. In addition to the island of Mauritius, the Republic includes the islands of Cargados Carajos, Rodrigues and the Agalega Islands...
and
Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
.
George Bowen was born the eldest son of the Rev. Edward Bowen, in Taughboyne,
County DonegalCounty Donegal is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located within the Province of Ulster and is part of the Republic of Ireland. It was named after the town of Donegal ....
,
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
. He was educated at
Charterhouse SchoolCharterhouse, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse, is a collegiate independent boarding school between Hurtmore and Godalming in Surrey, England....
and
Trinity College, OxfordThe College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol and Blackwells, and opposite...
, where two of his predecessors were also educated. Bowen, twice President of the Union, was awarded a first class Bachelor of Arts degree in
classicsClassics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean World; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity...
in 1844, and was elected a fellow of Brasenose College.
Sir George Ferguson Bowen GCMG (2 November 1821 – 21 February 1899) was a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
colonialIn politics and in history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their...
administrator whose appointments included postings to the
Ionian IslandsThe Ionian Islands are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called "Eptanisa", i.e...
,
Queensland (Australia)Queensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
,
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...
,
Victoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, across the Bass Strait. Victoria is the most densely populated state, with over 70% of...
,
MauritiusMauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar. In addition to the island of Mauritius, the Republic includes the islands of Cargados Carajos, Rodrigues and the Agalega Islands...
and
Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
.
Early life
George Bowen was born the eldest son of the Rev. Edward Bowen, in Taughboyne,
County DonegalCounty Donegal is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located within the Province of Ulster and is part of the Republic of Ireland. It was named after the town of Donegal ....
,
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
. He was educated at
Charterhouse SchoolCharterhouse, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse, is a collegiate independent boarding school between Hurtmore and Godalming in Surrey, England....
and
Trinity College, OxfordThe College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol and Blackwells, and opposite...
, where two of his predecessors were also educated. Bowen, twice President of the Union, was awarded a first class Bachelor of Arts degree in
classicsClassics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean World; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity...
in 1844, and was elected a fellow of Brasenose College. He received an
MAA master's degree is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
degree in 1847 and entered
Lincoln's InnThe Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn...
in 1844. From 1847 to 1851 he was president of the Ionian University of
CorfuCorfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and its northern part lies off the coast of Sarandë, Albania from which it is separated by straits varying in breadth from 3 to 23 km , including one near ancient Butrint, while its southern part lies...
.
Service in the Ionian Islands
From 1854 to 1859, George Bowen served as the chief secretary of government in the
Ionian IslandsThe Ionian Islands are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called "Eptanisa", i.e...
. While in that post, he married the Contessa
Diamantina di RomaLady Diamantina Bowen was the wife of Sir George Ferguson Bowen, the first governor of Queensland.-Personal life:...
on 28 April 1856. Diamantina was the daughter of Conte Giorgio-Candiano Roma and his wife Contessa Orsola, née di Balsamo. The Roma family were local aristocracy; her father being the President of the Ionian Senate, titular head of the
Ionian IslandsThe Ionian Islands are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called "Eptanisa", i.e...
, from 1850 to 1856.
Governor of Queensland
Five years later in 1859, he was appointed the first
Governor of QueenslandThe Governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level.In accordance with the...
, a colony that had just been separated from
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
. He was interested in the exploration of
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and in the establishment of a volunteer force, but incurred some unpopularity by refusing to sanction the issue of inconvertible
paper moneyPaper Money is the second album by the band Montrose. It was released in 1974 and was the last album to feature Sammy Hagar as lead vocalist...
during the financial crisis of 1866. But overall, he was quite popular in Queensland, so much so that the citizens requested an extension of his 5-year term as governor, resulting in his staying for a further two years.
Governor of New Zealand
In 1867 Bowen was made
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...
of
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...
, where he was successful in reconciling the
MāoriThe Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand . The group probably arrived in southwestern Polynesia in several waves at some time before 1300...
reaction to the British rule there, and saw the end of the struggle between the colonists and the natives. (For a rather different view of the conflict and its partial resolution, see
New Zealand land warsThe New Zealand Wars, sometimes called the Land Wars and also once called the Māori Wars, were a series of armed conflicts that took place in New Zealand between 1845 and 1872...
). He also instituted the
New Zealand CrossThe New Zealand Cross was introduced in 1869 during the Land Wars in New Zealand. The wars were fought between the natives of New Zealand, the Māori, and European settlers known as Pākehā who were assisted by British or Imperial troops....
, one of the rarest bravery awards in the world, equivalent to the
Victoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration which is, or has been, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories. It takes precedence over all other orders, decorations and medals...
.
Governor of Victoria
In 1872 Bowen was transferred to
Victoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, across the Bass Strait. Victoria is the most densely populated state, with over 70% of...
as
Governor of VictoriaThe Governor of Victoria is the representative in the Australian state of Victoria of Australia's monarch, Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level...
, where he embarked on an endeavour to reduce the expenses of the colony.
Governor of Mauritius
George Bowen was 13th Governor of
MauritiusMauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar. In addition to the island of Mauritius, the Republic includes the islands of Cargados Carajos, Rodrigues and the Agalega Islands...
from 4 Apr 1879 to 9 Dec 1880.
Governor of Hong Kong
On 30 March 1883, Bowen was made
GovernorThe Governor of Hong Kong was the head of Government, ex-officio Commander-in-Chief and Vice-Admiral of Hong Kong during British rule between 1841 and 1997....
of
Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
, a position in which he served until 1887, when he retired due to ill health. This was his last post in the Colonial Service.
During his tenure, Bowen established the
Royal ObservatoryHong Kong Observatory , known as the Royal Observatory Hong Kong before 1997, is a department of the Hong Kong Government. The Observatory forecasts weather and issues warnings on weather-related hazards...
, which became the meteorological institute for all of Hong Kong. He also established the first college in the territory, and ordered the construction of the Typhoon Shelter in
Causeway BayCauseway Bay is a heavily built-up area of Hong Kong, located on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, and covering parts of Wan Chai and Eastern districts. The Chinese name is also romanized as Tung Lo Wan as in Tung Lo Wan Road...
, and a government hospital.
Post-governorship
Bowen retired to
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...
after his tenure as Governor of Hong Kong, and was appointed as a chief of a Royal Commission which was sent to
MaltaMalta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed European country in the European Union. The Southern European island nation is an archipelago that includes the inhabited islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino, along with a number of smaller, uninhabited islands...
with regard to the new constitution for the island in December 1887. All recommendations made by Bowen were adopted. Afterwards, Bowen served as a privy councillor.
Personal life
Bowen was married twice.
His first wife was
Contessa Diamantina di RomaLady Diamantina Bowen was the wife of Sir George Ferguson Bowen, the first governor of Queensland.-Personal life:...
, daughter of Count Candiano di Roma. They had the following children:
- first child, a son who died twelve days old, born in the Ionian Islands
The Ionian Islands are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called "Eptanisa", i.e...
- Adelaide Diamantina (Nina) Bowen, born 17 August 1858 in the Ionian Islands
The Ionian Islands are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called "Eptanisa", i.e...
- Zoe Caroline Bowen, born 28 August 1860 at Adelaide House (the temporary Government House), Brisbane
Brisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
, QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
- Agnes Herbert Bowen, born 26 July 1862 at Government House
Queensland's first Government House is located at Gardens Point within the grounds of the Queensland University of Technology at the end of George Street in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.-Constructed for Governor Sir George Bowen and Family:...
in BrisbaneBrisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
, QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
- George William Howard Bowen, born 9 April 1864 at Government House
Queensland's first Government House is located at Gardens Point within the grounds of the Queensland University of Technology at the end of George Street in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.-Constructed for Governor Sir George Bowen and Family:...
, BrisbaneBrisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
, QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
- Alfreda Ernestina Albertina Bowen, born 10 April 1869 at Government House, Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with a population approaching 1.4 million residents, percent of the country's population. Demographic trends indicate that it will continue to grow faster than the rest...
, 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...
Diamantina died in London in 1893 aged about 60 years old.
George married his second wife, Letitia Florence White, in late 1896 at
ChelseaChelsea is an area of south-west London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe...
,
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...
. Florence was the daughter of Dr Thomas Luby, a mathematician, and was the widow of Henry White, whom she married in 1878.
George Ferguson Bowen died on 21 February 1899 in
BrightonBrighton is a town in the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex on the south coast of Great Britain...
,
SussexSussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
,
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...
aged 77 years old. He died from
bronchitisAcute bronchitis is an inflammation of the large bronchi in the lungs that is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks. Characteristic symptoms include cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath and wheezing related to the obstruction of the inflamed airways...
after a short illness of 2 days. He was buried on 25 February 1899 in
Kensal Green cemeteryKensal Green Cemetery is a burial ground located in Kensal Green, London, England. It was immortalised in the lines of G. K. Chesterton "For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen; Before we go to Paradise by way of Kensal Green"....
,
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...
.
Honours
- K.C.M.G.
The 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...
, 1856
- G.C.M.G.
The 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...
, 1860
- Privy Councillor, 1886
- Honorary DCL Degree, Oxford
Oxford is a city, and the county town of Oxfordshire, in South East England. The city has a population of just under 165,000, with 151,000 living within the district boundary. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre...
, 1875
- Honorary LLD Degree, Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. It is also at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen....
, 1886.
Literary works
- Ithaca, 1850 (London, 1854 translated into Greek
Greek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
in 1859)
- Mount Athos, Thessaly and Epirus (London, 1852);
- Murray's Handbook for Greece (London, 1854).
- Thirty Years of Colonial Government (London, 1889, edited by S. Lane-Poole)
Places named in his honour
- The town of Bowen, Queensland
Bowen is a town on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Bowen had a population of 7,484.-Geography:Bowen is located on the north-east coast of Australia, at exactly twenty degrees south of the equator. In fact, the twentieth parallel crosses the main street...
- Bowen Road
Bowen Road is a road from the Mid-levels to Wong Nai Chung Gap of Hong Kong Island, on the slope above Central, Wan Chai and Happy Valley in Hong Kong...
, and Bowen Drive in Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
.
- Bowen Street (now part of the RMIT
The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology is an Australian public university and provider of vocational education, located in Melbourne, Victoria...
campus) in Melbourne, Victoria
His wife
DiamantinaLady Diamantina Bowen was the wife of Sir George Ferguson Bowen, the first governor of Queensland.-Personal life:...
appears to have been more popular than George in Queensland, as there are many Queensland places named after her.
See also
Read about his wife Lady
Diamantina BowenLady Diamantina Bowen was the wife of Sir George Ferguson Bowen, the first governor of Queensland.-Personal life:...
for a more fullsome account of the social and personal life of the couple.
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