Sir Charles Bullen Hugh Mitchell (1836 – 7 December 1899) was a lieutenant-colonel in the
Royal Marines, before joining the Colonial Service, in which he served in
British Honduras
British Honduras was a British Crown colony on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony, renamed Belize in June 1973, ,
British Guiana,
Natal
NATAL or Natal may refer to:
Places
* Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil
* Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa
** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843)
** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...
. He then served as
Governor of Fiji
Fiji was a British Crown colony from 1874 to 1970, and an independent dominion in the Commonwealth from 1970 to 1987. During this period, the head of state was the British monarch, but in practice his or her functions were normally exercised loca ...
, of the
British Colony of Natal &
Zululand (1881–1882), and of the
Straits Settlements (1 February 1894 to 7 December 1899).
Career
Military
Mitchell attended the
Royal Naval School
The Royal Naval School was an English school that was established in Camberwell, London, in 1833 and then formally constituted by the Royal Naval College Act 1840. It was a charitable institution, established as a boarding school for the sons of ...
and joined the
Royal Marines in 1852.
[ He served with them in the ]Baltic
Baltic may refer to:
Peoples and languages
* Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian
*Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...
campaigns from 1854 to 1856.[ He retired from the marines in 1878 as a lieutenant-colonel.]
Civil career
Mitchell begin his colonial career as Colonial Secretary of British Honduras
British Honduras was a British Crown colony on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony, renamed Belize in June 1973, in July 1868. He also administrated the Government in 1870, 1874 and 1876.[
Mitchell was the Receiver General in British Guiana in 1877 and followed by Colonial Secretary of Natal in November 1877. He was the Acting Governor of Natal in 1881, 1882 and 1885–1886.][
Mitchell was the ]Governor of Fiji
Fiji was a British Crown colony from 1874 to 1970, and an independent dominion in the Commonwealth from 1970 to 1987. During this period, the head of state was the British monarch, but in practice his or her functions were normally exercised loca ...
between 1887 and 1888.[
Mitchell administered the Government of Natal and Zululand in 1889 and was eventually appointed as the Governor in the October of the same year.][
Mitchell was the Governor of the Straits Settlement between 1894 and 1899.][
]
Personal life
Mitchell's first wife Fanny Rice died in 1885. He remarried to Eliza Weldon. He had a son, Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
Hugh Mitchell of the Royal Marines.
Mitchell died on 7 December 1899, while in office as Governor of the Straits Settlements. He was buried in St Andrew's Cathedral, Singapore
Saint Andrew's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Singapore. It is located near City Hall, Downtown Core, within the Central Area in Singapore's central business district. It is the main cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Singapore a ...
, his tombstone was erected "To the glory of God and in memory of His Excellency Lieutenant Colonel Sir Charles Bullen Hugh Mitchell Royal Marine Light Infantry, G.C.M.G. Governor of the Colony who died in Singapore on 7 December 1899. This tablet is erected by the members of the Civil Service of the Straits Settlements."
Marines from served as an honour guard and pallbearers for the Mitchell's funeral.
Awards and honours
Charles Mitchell was invested with Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG) in 1880, Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1883 and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in 1895.
Legacy
Mitchell Park Zoo
Mitchell Park Zoo is also known as Mitchell Park or Mitchell's Park. Situated in the Morningside suburb of Durban, South Africa, it is the only zoo in Durban.
The zoo was established as an Ostrich farm in 1910, but was unprofitable and started a ...
in Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
, South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
is named after him.
References
External links
*
*
1836 births
1899 deaths
Governors of Fiji
Governors of Natal
Governors of the Straits Settlements
High Commissioners for the Western Pacific
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
People educated at the Royal Naval School
Royal Marines officers
Royal Navy personnel of the Crimean War
Administrators in British Singapore
{{Singapore-politician-stub