Edward Alured Draper (22 October 1776 in Oxfordshire,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

– 22 April 1841 in Rivière Noire,

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...

) was a military officer in the British Army and civil servant in Mauritius. Draper was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

. In 1793 he matriculated at Brasenose College, Oxford. In 1796, he became Lieutenant, then Captain in the British Army, and he served in

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

. In 1803, as a

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

major, he announced the capture of

St. Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerin ...

. In defense of Sir

Thomas Picton Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Picton (24 August 175818 June 1815) was a British Army officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. According to the historian Alessandro Barbero, Picton was "respected for his courage and feared for his irascible t ...

in 1804, he was jailed for three months for libel. However, a few years later he was again in the limelight as

ADC ADC may refer to: Science and medicine * ADC (gene), a human gene * AIDS dementia complex, neurological disorder associated with HIV and AIDS * Allyl diglycol carbonate or CR-39, a polymer * Antibody-drug conjugate, a type of anticancer treatm ...

to the prince

Regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

. He retired from the army as colonel In 1812, he came to

. In the same year, he founded the Mauritius Turf Club and initiated the first horse races. For a short period he was appointed Chief Secretary in

Bourbon Island Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * A beer produced by ...

. Back in Mauritius, Draper served in different capacities, namely as Chief of Police, Colonial Secretary, Collector of Customs, Civil engineer, Registrar of Slaves, Magistrate and Colonial Treasurer. In 1818, he was suspended by General Cage Hall but once more his powerful friends in England came to his rescue and Draper was reinstated. In 1822 he married a Mauritian lady named Lucie de Krivelt. Draper supported the Mauritian planters against the British official in respect of slaves trade and the abolition of slavery issues. Dismissed by Governor Nicolay in 1832, Draper was sent back to England. In 1836, he was back again in Mauritius, this time appointed Colonial Treasurer and

Paymaster General His Majesty's Paymaster General or HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. The incumbent Paymaster General is Jeremy Quin MP. History The post was created in 1836 by the merger of the posi ...

. He died on 22 April 1841 and was buried at Riviere Noire.

Sources

* *Anniversaries and events, from the

philatelic bureau

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Draper, Edward 1776 births 1841 deaths British colonial governors and administrators in Africa People educated at Eton College Scots Guards officers British Mauritius people British Mauritius judges