Sir William Wellington Cairns, KCMG (3 March 1828 - 9 June 1888) was a British colonial administrator. He was the Governor of Queensland and the Governor of Trinidad.
Sir William Wellington Cairns | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Governor of Trinidad | |
| In office 2 May 1874 – 27 May 1874 | |
| Monarch | Queen Victoria |
| Preceded by | James Robert Longden |
| Succeeded by | Henry Turner Irving |
| 4th Governor of Queensland | |
| In office 23 January 1875 – 14 March 1877 | |
| Monarch | Queen Victoria |
| Preceded by | George Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby |
| Succeeded by | Sir Arthur Edward Kennedy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 March 1828 County Down, Ireland, UK |
| Died | 9 July 1888 (aged 60) London, England, UK |
| Nationality |  British |
Early life
editCairns was born in Belfast, Ireland on 3 March 1828 (as indicated on his grave stone). His parents were William Cairns, a property owner at Cultra, County Down and was a captain in the 14th Regiment, and his second marriage Matilda Beggs, daughter of Francis Beggs of the Grange, Malahide.[1]
Trinidad and Australia
editHe served in various senior colonial civil service posts in the British Empire including Trinidad,[2][3] moving due to health issues,[4] before being appointed Governor of Queensland in January 1875. He held the post for two years before becoming the Administrator of South Australia in 1877.[5] Cairns was given a CMG in 1874, followed by a knighthood in 1877.[6]
Later reflections of his contributions to colonial public life were not considered highly:
- Of all the pestilent "returned colonists" who misrepresent things Australian in London perhaps not one is equal as a nuisance to a retired Australian Governor.[7]
Return
edit
He subsequently returned to England where he died in London on 7 July 1888,[1][8][9] unmarried.[10] He is buried in a modest grave against the east wall of Brompton Cemetery near the north-east corner with Anna Maria Cairns, his sister.[11]
Legacy
editThe city of Cairns in Queensland was named after him in 1876.[12][13][14]
References
edit- ^ a b "William Wellington Cairns". Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 3, (MUP), 1969. Archived from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- ^ "The late Sir W. W. CAIRNS". Adelaide Observer. South Australia. 21 July 1888. p. 31. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Our Illustrations". The Illustrated Adelaide News. South Australia. 1 January 1877. p. 10. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "His Excellency Governor CAIRNS". Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald And General Advertiser. Queensland, Australia. 28 January 1875. p. 3. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "STATISTICAL RECORD OF THE LEGISLATURE 1836–2007" (PDF). Table A: Governors and Administrators. Parliament of South Australia. 24 April 2007. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 March 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
- ^ "DEATH OF SIR W. W. CAIRNS". The Express and Telegraph. South Australia. 19 July 1888. p. 3 (Second Edition). Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "CAIRNS on Chinese". The Australian Star. New South Wales, Australia. 31 May 1888. p. 4 (FIRST EDITION). Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Death of Sir William CAIRNS". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 19 July 1888. p. 9. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Sir William Cairns". The Sunday Mail (Brisbane). Queensland, Australia. 1 July 1928. p. 28. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Chronicles of Queensland". Truth. Queensland, Australia. 9 June 1912. p. 12. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Anna Maria Cairns (1808–1890) Grave Site". BillionGraves. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
- ^ "THE ELECTORAL ROLLS". The Telegraph. No. 1, 246. Queensland, Australia. 9 October 1876. p. 3. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Cairns, Trinity Bay". The Northern Miner. Queensland, Australia. 6 December 1876. p. 2. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Early days in Cairns". Townsville Daily Bulletin. Queensland, Australia. 18 September 1946. p. 4. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2020 – via Trove.