Sir Edward Marsh Merewether, (9 September 1858 – 28 December 1938) was a British colonial administrator.

Early life and background

Merewether was born in Meriden, Warwickshire, England on 9 September 1858, the second son of

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

officer Major General Sir William Merewether (1825–1880) and Harriett Dale. His grandfather was the Serjeant-at-law and

Town Clerk of London The Town Clerk of London is an important position that has existed since the 13th century in the City of London, England. Originally the role was to take the minutes of London council meetings, but over the years the holder's role has gathered re ...

, Henry Alworth Merewether (1780–1864). His uncle, Edward Christopher Merewether (1820–1893), was a prominent civil servant and businessman in the

Colony of New South Wales The Colony of New South Wales was a colony of the British Empire from 1788 to 1901, when it became a State of the Commonwealth of Australia. At its greatest extent, the colony of New South Wales included the present-day Australian states of New ...

and for whom the municipality (today a suburb) of

Merewether Merewether () is a former Municipality and today a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district with a population of around 11,000. The suburb stretches from Merewether Beach in the east to ...

was named. Merewether was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

Colonial career

Straits Settlements

After passing the civil service exam, Merewether was accepted as a cadet in 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 ...

Civil Service (SSCC) in 1880 and rose to become Superintendent of the Census in 1891 and Inspector of Prisons in 1893. As Assistant Colonial Secretary and Clerk of Councils from 1897, he acted on two occasions as resident Councillor and Colonial Treasurer in

Malacca Malacca (), officially the Historic State of Malacca (), is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca ...

. In 1901 he was appointed as Resident Minister to the Sultan of

Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...

, Alauddin Sulaiman Shah. For his service in the colony he was made a Companion of the

Order of Saint Michael and Saint George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...

(CMG) in the November

1902 Birthday Honours The 1902 Birthday Honours were announced on 10 November 1902, to celebrate the birthday of Edward VII the previous day. The list included appointments to various orders and honours of the United Kingdom and the British Empire. The list was publi ...

list. In 1883 he married Honoria Clementina Mary Braddell, the daughter of the first

Attorney-General of Singapore The attorney-general of Singapore is the public prosecutor of the Republic of Singapore and legal adviser to the Government of Singapore. The attorney-general is the head of the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC), whose staff carries out the f ...

, Sir Thomas Braddell.

Malta

Merewether was appointed Lieutenant Governor and Chief Secretary to the Government of

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

in May 1902, serving until 1911. He arrived in

on 21 August 1902 to take up the position. On the occasion of King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

's visit to the island the following year, he was made a

Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the ...

(CVO) on 21 April 1903. When the King visited Malta again in April 1907, Merewether was promoted to Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO).

Sierra Leone

In March 1911, Merewether was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

. One of his Private Secretaries was the colonial administrator

Paul Shuffrey Paul Shuffrey (1889–1955) was a British colonial administrator, editor and publisher. Early life Born in Ealing, London, in 1889, Paul Shuffrey was the son of Leonard Shuffrey, the leading architect and architectural designer. His mother was ...

. In the

1916 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1916 were appointments by King George V to Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were announced on 1 Januar ...

, he was made a Knight Commander of the

(KCMG). Merewether's term expired in early 1916 and was due to return to England on board the British and African Steamer, ''

SS Appam SS ''Appam'' was a British steamship owned by the British & African Steam Navigation Company, a subsidiary of Elder Dempster Lines, Elder Dempster Shipping Limited, that was captured at sea by the German raider in 1916. The Germans took the sh ...

'', but was taken prisoner when the ship was captured by the Imperial German Navy raider on 15 January 1916. He and his wife were released when the Appam arrived under control of its German prize crew in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

, in early February.

Later life

Merewether was lastly appointed as

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

of the

Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands () are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In Engl ...

, serving from 1916 to 1921. In September 1920, he entertained Edward, Prince of Wales at Government House, Antigua on the occasion of his visit to the West Indies. He died in Kensington, London, on 28 December 1938.

Honours

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merewether, Edward 1858 births 1938 deaths People educated at Harrow School Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Governors of the Leeward Islands Governors of Sierra Leone Burials at Brompton Cemetery 19th-century Australian public servants British people in British Malaya Crown Colony of Malta people