Henry Marjoribanks Chester (30 December 1832 – 3 October 1914) was a public servant and police magistrate in colonial

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

. Chester was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, son of William Chester, and educated at

Christ's Hospital Christ's Hospital is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter, located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. T ...

, the London School in Newgate Street and the

Royal Mathematical School Royal Mathematical School is a branch of Christ's Hospital, founded by Charles II. It is currently Christ's Hospital's Maths Department. History It was established so that potential sailors could learn navigation and mathematicians could train ...

. In 1849 Chester entered the service of the Indian navy and remained an officer in it until its abolition in 1862. Chester was in the Queensland Government service from 1876, and in 1877 was sent on an exploring expedition to

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

. In July of the next year Chester was appointed by

Arthur Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Baron Stanmore Arthur Charles Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Baron Stanmore (26 November 1829 – 30 January 1912) was a Scottish Liberal Party politician and colonial administrator. He had extensive contact with Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. Career Gordon wa ...

to represent him in New Guinea in his capacity as High Commissioner of the Western Pacific. In 1883, when Sir

Thomas McIlwraith Sir Thomas McIlwraith (17 May 1835 – 17 July 1900) was for many years the dominant figure of colonial politics in Queensland. He was Premier of Queensland from 1879 to 1883, again in 1888, and for a third time in 1893. In common with most po ...

decided on annexing the island on behalf of the Queensland Government, Chester was employed to proclaim the Queen's sovereignty, which he carried into effect on 4 April. Chester was a police magistrate at

Croydon, Queensland Croydon is an outback town and locality within the Shire of Croydon in Queensland, Australia. It is a terminus for the Normanton to Croydon railway line, which operates the Gulflander tourist train. In the , the locality of Croydon had a pop ...

from November 1887. Chester was transferred to

Cooktown Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the '' Endeavour'', for ...

in 1891, to Clermont in 1898 and

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

in 1902. Chester died in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, Queensland, Australia, on 3 October 1914; he was survived by two of his three sons. Frank Jardine and Henry Chester (who was a temporary replacement magistrate at Somerset) conducted at least two large punitive expeditions on Muralag Island. In July 1869, Jardine led his native troopers and armed crewmen from the blackbirding vessel Melanie in a dawn raid on a village on the island killing many people

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chester, Henry Marjoribanks 1832 births 1914 deaths Military personnel from London British emigrants British people in colonial India Colony of Queensland people Immigrants to Australia 19th-century Australian public servants