Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Macarthur (16 March 1789 – 4 January 1872) was a lieutenant-general in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, Commander-in-chief of British forces in Australia from 1855, and an administrator of the Colony of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

for 12 months, following the death of the

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Sir Charles Hotham Sir Charles Hotham, KCB, RN (14 January 180631 December 1855)B. A. Knox,Hotham, Sir Charles (1806–1855), ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 4, MUP, 1972, pp 429-430. was Lieutenant-Governor and, later, Governor of Victoria, A ...

Early life

Macarthur was the eldest son of John Macarthur, and his wife

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(''née'' Veal). He was born at

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, England, and arrived at

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

with his parents in the ships ''Neptune'' and ''Scarborough'' in 1790, part of the Second Fleet. Edward Macarthur is believed to be the only passenger on those ships of whom a photograph exists, although taken later in life. In 1799, the young Edward was sent to England to be educated.

Career

Macarthur returned to Australia in 1806, and took part with his father in the deposing of Governor William Bligh. Bligh, in his dispatch to

Viscount Castlereagh A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judici ...

of 30 April 1808, requested that "two of the rebels Charles Grimes and Edward Macarthur who have gone home in the ''Dart'' may be secured, in order to be tried in due time". On Macarthur's arrival in England, he entered the army as an

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in the 60th regiment, serving at Corunna and in Sicily. In 1809, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. As part of the 39th Regiment he took part in the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish soldier and Tories (British political party), Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of Uni ...

's campaigns in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

and in France. In 1820 or 1829 he became a captain. In 1824 he paid a visit of 10 months to Australia as an agent of

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. After Macarthur's return to England, he was for some years secretary to the

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. In 1826 he was promoted to the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

and in 1837 he was on the staff in Ireland. Macarthur retained his interest in Australia. On 3 July 1839, he addressed a long communication to the Right Hon. Henry Labouchère, suggesting that regular lines of steamers should be established in Australia to trade between the various ports. That was referred to the governor,

Sir George Gipps Sir George Gipps (23 December 1790 – 28 February 1847) was the Governor of the British colony of New South Wales for eight years, between 1838 and 1846. His governorship oversaw a tumultuous period where the rights to land were bitterly conte ...

who, in May 1840, replied that government aid was unnecessary, because a large company had been formed to establish a line of steamers, of which James Macarthur (Edward's brother) was chairman. Edward Macarthur also promoted emigration in two small books: ''Colonial Policy of 1840 and 1841, as Illustrated by the Governor's Despatches, and the Proceedings of the Legislative Council of New South Wales'' (London, 1841) and ''Brief Remarks on Colonization'' (London, 1846). In August 1840, Macarthur protested against the regulations that people wanting to take up land in the

Port Phillip district The Port Phillip District was an administrative division of the Colony of New South Wales from 9 September 1836 until 1 July 1851, when it was separated from New South Wales and became the Colony of Victoria. In September 1836, NSW Colonial Sec ...

should have to proceed to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

where all charts of land were kept for public inspection. He was made a Lieutenant-Colonel in 1841, and afterwards went to

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

as deputy adjutant-general. He was promoted to

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in 1854. On 5 December 1854, Macarthur travelled with the commander-in-chief of British forces in Australia, Major-General Sir Robert Nickle, to the site of the

Eureka Rebellion The Eureka Rebellion was a series of events involving gold miners who revolted against the British administration of the colony of Victoria, Australia during the Victorian gold rush. It culminated in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, which ...

. There they talked with the miners openly and, as a result of their investigations, Nickle advised the withdrawal of martial law. Macarthur was appointed commander-in-chief of British forces in Australia in 1855, to replace Nickle. On 1 January 1856, after the death of

Governor of Victoria The governor of Victoria is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria. The governor is one of seven viceregal representatives in the country, analogous to the governors of the other states, and the ...

, Macarthur was administrator of the colony of Victoria for 12 months.

Late life

Macarthur returned to London in 1860. In 1862, he was created a Knight Commander of the KCB and, in the same year, was given the colonelcy of the 100th (Prince of Wales's Royal Canadian) Regiment of Foot, a position he held until his death. He died in London on 4 January 1872 and was buried in

Brompton Cemetery Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is a London cemetery, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Estab ...

. In 1862, at the age of 73, he had married Sarah (daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel W. S. Neill), who survived him. There were no children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macarthur, Edward 1789 births 1872 deaths British Army generals King's Royal Rifle Corps officers British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Australian public servants Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Burials at Brompton Cemetery Macarthur family (Australia)