HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sir John Bates Thurston (31 January 1836 – 7 February 1897) was a British
colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...
official who served
Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consis ...
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 1836 in London, England, where he received an elementary education before pursuing a nautical career in 1850. In 1855 he became the 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 botany expedition to the
South Sea Islands Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...
and was wrecked off the coast of
Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...
, where he was stranded for eighteen months, before being rescued and brought 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 Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
. In June 1871, Thurston, then Britain's honorary consul, forged a "marriage of convenience" between the Bauan
chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the bo ...
Seru Epenisa Cakobau Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau (; occasionally spelled ''Cacobau'' or phonetically ''Thakombau'') (c.1815 – 1 February 1883) was a Fijian Ratu and warlord ('' Vunivalu'') who united part of Fiji's warring tribes under his leadership, establishi ...
and the British settlers. He persuaded the Fijian chiefs to surrender the independence of their fiefdoms and accept a
constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
with Cakobau as acclaimed King, but with real power in the hands of a
cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...
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 an offer to cede the islands to the United Kingdom. (A previous offer almost two decades earlier had been turned down). The British were much more inclined to annexe Fiji now than they had been previously. The murder of Bishop John Patteson of the Melanesian Mission at Nukapu in the
Reef Islands The Reef Islands are a loose collection of 16 islands in the northwestern part of the Solomon Islands province of Temotu. These islands have historically also been known by the names of Swallow Islands and Matema Islands. Geography The islan ...
had provoked public outrage, which was compounded by the massacre by crew members of more than 150 Fijians on board the brig
Carl Carl may refer to: * Carl, Georgia, city in USA * Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name * Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of ...
. 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 of land to establish its plantations. 1879 Thurston became the secretary to the High Commissioner. In February 1888, Thurston became
Governor of Fiji Fiji was a British Crown colony from 1874 to 1970, and an independent dominion in the Commonwealth from 1970 to 1987. During this period, the head of state was the British monarch, but in practice his or her functions were normally exercised loca ...
, a position he held until 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 Marie de Lavalatte (died 14 December 1881); secondly, on 14 January 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 returned to England on leave. Returning to his post in 1896, he died at sea on S.S. Burrumbeet 7 February 1897, between Sydney and Melbourne. Sir John Bates Thurston is buried in
Melbourne General Cemetery The Melbourne General Cemetery is a large (43 hectare) necropolis located north of the city of Melbourne in the suburb of Carlton North. The cemetery is notably the resting place of four Prime Ministers of Australia, more than any othe ...
and his grave site has its upkeep paid by the Fijian Government. He was appointed Companion of the
Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...
in 1880, and Knight Commander of that same order 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
* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Thurston, John Bates 1836 births 1897 deaths Governors of Fiji Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Politicians from London Premiers of Viti British sailors Diplomats from London High Commissioners for the Western Pacific Politicians from Levuka Politicians from Suva Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Colonial Secretaries of Fiji Burials at Melbourne General Cemetery People who died at sea