Sir George Ruthven Le Hunte (20 August 1852 – 29 January 1925) was a British politician. He served as

Governor of South Australia The governor of South Australia is the representative in South Australia of the monarch, currently King Charles III. The governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the governor-general of Aust ...

from 1 July 1903 until 18 February 1909, soon after the federation of Australia.

Life

He was born in Porthgain, Pembrokeshire,

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, the son of George and Mary Le Hunte. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

. Le Hunte served as President of Dominica (1887–94), secretary of

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

(1894–97) and

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

(1897); and Lieutenant-Governor of British New Guinea (1899–1903). He was Governor of South Australia from 1903–08/9, and then Governor of

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

from 1908 to 1915, retiring in 1916. As South Australian Governor, Le Hunte became the first patron of the

Royal Automobile Association The Royal Automobile Association of South Australia (RAA) is an Australian motor club. It offers various services, including vehicle inspection, insurance and roadside assistance to members. The RAA operates its services on a break-even bas ...

of South Australia when it was formed in 1903. The District Council of Le Hunte in the north of Eyre Peninsula was named after him before it was changed to Wudinna District Council in 2008.

Family

George Le Hunte married Caroline Rachel Clowes (c. 1854 – 18 May 1939) on 14 February 1884; she was a cousin of Evelyn May Clowes. They had two children: *John Le Hunte (11 August 1886 – ) married Vera Spurgin, daughter of John Henry Spurgin, on 12 August 1913. While there were reports of his being killed in action early in World War I, he was a prisoner of war; during World War II he worked in the Air Ministry. *Editha Rachel Le Hunte (c. October 1892 – ) married Godfrey Barton Pease (15 May 1887 – ) on 5 October 1912. Details of his death in WWI have also been hard to find. Other reports indicate they both survived to 1919 at least. :*Lt.-Col. Godfrey Philip Desmond Pease (19 September 1913 – 8 March 2007) :*Ann Pease ( – ) married Lt.-Col. William Eliott Lockhart

References

*Diane Langmore,
Le Hunte, Sir George Ruthven (1852–1925)
, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, MUP, 1986, pp 66–67.

External links

World Statesmen – Trinindad and Tobago
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Le Hunte, George Governors of South Australia Governors of Trinidad and Tobago 1852 births 1925 deaths Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Colonial Administrative Service officers People from Pembrokeshire Governors of the Territory of Papua Colonial secretaries of Barbados