Sir George Benvenuto Buckley-Mathew (4 August 1807 – 22 October 1879) was a British diplomat and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician.

Life

Born in 1807 as George Byam Mathew, Buckley-Mathew was the son of George Mathew (1760–1846) of the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

and Euphemia née Hamilton. In 1835, he substituted the middle name 'Byam' for 'Benvenuto'. Buckley-Mathew entered the army in 1825, joining the light infantry before, by 1833, becoming a captain in his father's regiment; although he retired altogether in 1841 when he was a captain in the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

. His first marriage enabled Buckley-Mathew to enter politics, becoming a Conservative

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for the Irish constituency of Athlone at the 1835 general election. At the following election, he instead stood for

Shaftesbury Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset, being built about above sea level on a ...

but, on the initial count, was unsuccessful, losing to the Whig John Sayer Poulter. However, upon petition, Poulter's election was declared void and Buckley-Mathew was declared elected. He held the seat until just

1841 Events January–March * January 20 – Charles Elliot of the United Kingdom, and Qishan of the Qing dynasty, agree to the Convention of Chuenpi. * January 26 – Britain occupies Hong Kong. Later in the year, the first census of the i ...

, however, when he was again defeated and retired from politics altogether. Frustrated at this political career, Buckley-Mathew was appointed

Governor of the Bahamas This is a list of governors of the Bahamas. The first English settlement in the Bahamas was on Eleuthera. In 1670, the king granted the Bahamas to the lords proprietors of the Province of Carolina, but the islands were left to themselves. The lo ...

in 1844, holding the role until 1849. His career in the Americas lasted some length; he was consul at Charleston,

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, between 1850 and 1853, and then at

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in 1853, only ending in 1856 when his exequatur was removed by then-

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Franklin Pierce. He then served in the

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between 1856 and 1858, and became secretary and '' chargé d'affaires'' of the legation in

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and then for other Central American republics, the latter where he was minister from 1861 to 1863. He was minister to Colombia from 1865 to 1866,

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from 1866 to 1867, and

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from 1867 to April 1879. He was made a Companion of the

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(CB) in 1863 and a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in May 1879, living in Leamington Spa in the late stages of his life, before dying in

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on 22 October 1879.

Family

In 1835, Mathew married Anne Hoare, daughter of

Henry Hoare Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

and Charlotte née Dering. In 1849, however, the marriage ended in what Buckley-Mathew called a "Scotch divorce". The following year, he remarried to Rosina Adelaide Handley, daughter of J. C. Handley—and, later, he again married to a daughter of J. W. Gerard of New York. Across his various marriages, he had at least five sons and two daughters. Inheriting West Indian estates in 1837, Mathew took an additional surname Buckley, if after a delay, in 1865. The estates, from Abednego Mathew (died 1837), cousin to his father, were on

St Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...

, and at Lyth near Ellesmere, Shropshire. Abednego Mathew's will required that George Matthew adopt the name Buckley, his mother's maiden name.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Buckley-Mathew, George 1807 births 1879 deaths Coldstream Guards officers Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Governors of the Bahamas Grenadier Guards officers Irish Conservative Party MPs Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Athlone UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841