Sir Charles Bullen Hugh Mitchell (1836 – 7 December 1899) was a British

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

officer and colonial administrator. As the latter, he served in

British Honduras British Honduras was a Crown colony on the east coast of Central America — specifically located on the southern edge of the Yucatan Peninsula from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony — renamed Belize from June 1973

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first known Europeans to encounter Guia ...

, Natal. He then served as

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 the functions of the crown were normally exercis ...

, of the British Colony of Natal & Zululand, and of the

Straits Settlements The 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 control of the ...

Career

Military

Mitchell attended the

Royal Naval School The Royal Naval School was an English school that was established in Camberwell, London, in 1833 and then formally constituted by the ( 3 & 4 Vict. c. lxxxvi). It was a charitable institution, established as a boarding school for the sons ...

and joined the

in 1852. He served with them in the

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...

campaigns from 1854 to 1856. He retired from the marines in 1878 as a lieutenant-colonel.

Civil career

Mitchell begin his colonial career as Colonial Secretary of

in July 1868. He also administrated the Government in 1870, 1874 and 1876. Mitchell was the Receiver General in British Guiana in 1877 and followed by Colonial Secretary of Natal in November 1877. He was the Acting Governor of Natal in 1881, 1882 and 1885–1886. Mitchell was the

between 1887 and 1888. Mitchell administered the Government of Natal and Zululand in 1889 and was eventually appointed as the Governor in the October of the same year. Mitchell was the Governor of the Straits Settlement between 1894 and 1899.

Personal life

Mitchell's first wife Fanny Rice died in 1885. He remarried to Eliza Weldon. He had a son,

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Hugh Mitchell of the Royal Marines. Mitchell died on 7 December 1899, while in office as Governor of the Straits Settlements. He was buried in

St Andrew's Cathedral, Singapore Saint Andrew's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Singapore. It is located near City Hall, Singapore, City Hall, Downtown Core, within the Central Area, Singapore, Central Area in Singapore's central business district. It is the cathedral chur ...

, his tombstone was erected "To the glory of God and in memory of His Excellency Lieutenant Colonel Sir Charles Bullen Hugh Mitchell Royal Marine Light Infantry, G.C.M.G. Governor of the Colony who died in Singapore on 7 December 1899. This tablet is erected by the members of the Civil Service of the Straits Settlements." Marines from served as an honour guard and pallbearers for the Mitchell's funeral.

Awards and honours

Charles Mitchell was invested with Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG) in 1880, Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1883 and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in 1895.

Legacy

Mitchell Park Zoo in

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

is named after him.

References

External links

* * 1836 births 1899 deaths Governors of Fiji Governors of Natal Governors of the Straits Settlements High commissioners for the Western Pacific Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George People educated at the Royal Naval School Royal Marines officers Royal Navy personnel of the Crimean War Administrators in British Singapore 19th-century Royal Marines personnel Military personnel from London {{Singapore-politician-stub