George Lee (1831 – 14 September 1860) was the first Superintendent of the Government Printing Office in Ceylon, between 1833 and 1835 and the Postmaster General of Ceylon between 1844 and 1859. Lee was a highly accomplished literary man, son of an Amsterdam merchant, who traveled to

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

in October 1831, as a member of Sir

Robert Wilmot-Horton Sir Robert John Wilmot-Horton, 3rd Baronet, GCH, PC, FRS (21 December 1784 – 31 May 1841), born Robert John Wilmot, was a British politician, sociopolitical theorist, and colonial administrator. He was Under-Secretary of State for War and ...

's staff. Wilmot-Horton served as the

Governor of Ceylon {{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019 The governor of Ceylon can refer to historical vice-regal representatives of three colonial powers: Portuguese Ceylon * List of captains of Portuguese Ceylon (1518–1551) * List of captain-majors of Portugue ...

between 1831 and 1837. '' The Colombo Journal'' was published on 1 January 1832 and printed at the Government Press, with Lee as its editor. Lee was the Superintendent of the Government Press at that time. The newspaper was closed by the

Colonial Office The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created in 1768 from the Southern Department to deal with colonial affairs in North America (particularly the Thirteen Colo ...

on 31 December 1833, following its criticism of the

British government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

. Lee was succeeded as Superintendent by Lieutenant Colonel Grey in 1835. On 3 May 1837 the first issue of a new English newspaper '' Ceylon Chronicle'' was published. The first editor of this paper was Rev. Samuel Owen Glenie, the Colonial Chaplain and later Archdeacon of Colombo. When the Bishop of India objected to this appointment Lee was appointed as editor. The newspaper was short-lived and ceased publication on 3 September 1838. In 1847 using his position as the former Superintendent of the Government Printing Office, he prepared and printed an English translation by Joachim Le Grand of João Ribeiro's ''History of Ceylon''. He also acted as the Colonial Auditor-General on two occasions. He retired from the

Ceylon Civil Service The Ceylon Civil Service, popularly known by its acronym CCS, was the premier civil service of the Government of Ceylon under British colonial rule and in the immediate post-independence period. Established in 1833, it functioned as part of th ...

on 1 September 1859 and returned to England. Lee married Martha Austin, daughter of James Austin and Sophia née Hill, at St. Paul's Church, Kandy, on 2 October 1841. They had several children including, Lionel Frederick (1845-1899), who served as the

Treasurer of Ceylon The financial secretary of Ceylon was an officer of the Ceylonese Government and member of the Board of Ministers. The Treasurer of Ceylon was one of six offices that held a seat in the Executive Council of Ceylon from 1809 to 1932. The post wa ...

; Henry Austin (1847-1918), who served in the British Diplomatic Service; and Gertrude Fanny (1849-1911), who married Charles Pickering Hayley (the founder of Hayleys). Lee died at his residence, Frogmore, on

Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...

Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...

on 14 September 1860, at the age of 61.

References

External links

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Sri Lanka Post
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, George 1831 births 1860 deaths Postmasters general of Sri Lanka People from British Ceylon