Sir Alexander Mackenzie, (28 June 1842 – 10 November 1902) was a British colonial official in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, who served as
Chief Commissioner of the British Crown Colony of Burma from 1890 to 1895, and as
Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal from 1895 to 1898.
Background
Mackenzie was born in Dumfries,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, to Reverend John R. Mackenzie and Alexanderina Mackenzie, and as a child moved with his parents to Birmingham where his father worked for many years.
He attended
King Edward's School and
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...
. Upon obtaining his BA and completion of his
Indian Civil Service
The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947.
Its members ruled over more than 300 million ...
exams, Mackenzie joined the
Bengal Civil Service
The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947.
Its members ruled over more than 300 million p ...
and went to
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
in 1862.
Early career
Mackenzie subsequently held a number of civil service appointments in the
Bengal Presidency
The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...
and British India. He was Secretary to the Bengali Government from 1877, and made a name for himself by compiling a history of the relations of the government with tribes on the north-east frontier of Bengal.
In 1882 he was appointed Secretary in the Home Department of the Government of India. Five years later he received a senior colonial appointment as
Chief Commissioner
A chief commissioner is a commissioner of a high rank, usually in chief of several commissioners or similarly styled officers.
Colonial
In British India the gubernatorial style was chief commissioner in various (not all) provinces (often after be ...
of the
Central Provinces
The Central Provinces was a province of British India. It comprised British conquests from the Mughals and Marathas in central India, and covered parts of present-day Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra states. Its capital was Nagpur. ...
in 1887, and in December 1890 transferred to become Chief Commissioner of
British Burma
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
, where he stayed until 1895. The same year he was appointed a Member of the
Council of the Governor General of India The Viceroy's Executive Council was the cabinet of the government of British India headed by the Viceroy of India. It is also known as the Council of the Governor-General of India. It was transformed from an advisory council into a cabinet consistin ...
.
In 1891 he became a Knight Commander of the
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:
# Knight Grand Commander (GCSI)
# Knight Commander ( KCSI)
# Companion ( CSI)
No appointments ...
(KCSI).
Bengal
After his service in Burma, he was in December 1895 appointed Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, where he served for three years. His short term in office was dominated by natural disasters, the province suffered plague, famine, earthquake and cyclone in those years. As an administrator he was a stern upholder of the rights of the province against what he perceived to be the financial encroachments of the British Indian government, and voiced this in the council, receiving opposition from the financial member of the council
Sir James Westland. He cooperated with the Assam Administration in the conduct of the
Lushai
The Mizo people (Mizo: ''Mizo hnam'') are an ethnic group native to the Indian state of Mizoram and neighbouring regions of Northeast India. The term covers several related ethnic groups or clans inside the Mizo group.
All Mizo tribes and clan ...
expedition in 1895–96.
In local administration, he initiated a survey and settlement in
Orissa
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sch ...
, took a keen interest in education and in the improvement of the Calcutta docks. He was probably mostly remembered for his work with the Calcutta Corporation to reform the Calcutta Municipal Act after a sanitary survey of the city found very unsatisfying conditions. His aloof ways in dealings with the city and corporation led to enmity with the Indian population and press.
His absence and negligence during his time in office made him unpopular amongst locals, but did not results in his removal from office.
Poor health led him to take six months leave from May 1897. He was back in Bengal by the end of the year, but was forced to retire permanently in March 1898 due to poor health. He returned to the United Kingdom and led a quite life, his only significant public office was as Chairman of the
India Development Company
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
He died at Radnor,
Holmbury St Mary
Holmbury St Mary is a village in Surrey, England centered on shallow upper slopes of the Greensand Ridge. Its developed area is a clustered town southwest of Dorking and southeast of Guildford. Most of the village is in the borough of Guildfor ...
,
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, on 10 November 1902.
Family
Mackenzie was twice married. His first wife from 1863 was
Georgina Louisa Huntly Bremner Georgina may refer to:
Names
* Georgina (name), a feminine given name
Places
Australia
* Georgina, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Boulia, Queensland
* Georgina Basin, a large sedimentary basin in Australia
* Georgina River, a riv ...
(born 1838 India, and died 1892 Birmingham), youngest daughter of Colonel Bremner; and after her death he remarried as second wife in 1893
Mabel Elizabeth Elliot
Mabel is an English female given name derived from the Latin ''amabilis'', "lovable, dear".Reclams Namensbuch, 1987,
History
Amabilis of Riom (died 475) was a French male saint who logically would have assumed the name Amabilis upon entering th ...
, youngest daughter of Ralph Elliot (1839–1874) and a granddaughter of
Sir George Elliot, 1st Baronet
Sir George Elliot, 1st Baronet, JP (18 March 1814 – 23 December 1893) was a mining engineer and self-made businessman from Gateshead in the North-East of England. A colliery labourer who went on to own several coal mines, he later bought ...
. Lady Mackenzie survived him, and married another civil servant, the Hon.
Noel Farrer
Noel or Noël may refer to:
Christmas
* , French for Christmas
* Noel is another name for a Christmas carol
Places
* Noel, Missouri, United States, a city
*Noel, Nova Scotia, Canada, a community
* 1563 Noël, an asteroid
*Mount Noel, Britis ...
, son of the
1st Baron Farrer. With his second wife, he had two children:
[Debrett′s Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 1903]
*Margaret Helen Mackenzie (b1896)
*Alastair Ian Mackenzie (b1897)
References
External links
Myanmar (Burma)at www.worldstatesmen.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackenzie, Alexander
Administrators in British Burma
Indian Civil Service (British India) officers
People from Dumfries
People from Birmingham, West Midlands
1842 births
1902 deaths
Lieutenant-governors of Bengal
Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge