Sir George Chardin Denton (22 June 1851 – 9 January 1928) was a British

colonial administrator Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...

and former military officer who served as the Administrator, and later Governor, of the Gambia from 1900 to 1911.

Early life and education

He was born in

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, the son of the local

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vicar. He attended

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before enlisting in the 57th Regiment in 1869, rising to the rank of captain.

Military and colonial service

In 1880, Denton joined the

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as chief of police on Saint Vincent. He served as its acting Colonial Secretary from 1886 to 1888 and was appointed as Colonial Secretary of the Colony of Lagos in 1889. He was knighted in January 1889. Denton was appointed as

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

of the Colony of Lagos in early March 1900, but in November of that year was re-assigned as Administrator of

the Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

. Upon his appointment, he was described by the ''

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'' as a "many-sided man" due to his interests in geography and

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

. In March 1901, his position was upgraded from Administrator to Governor, the first Governor of the Gambia since 1866. As Governor, Denton completed the work began by his predecessor,

Robert Baxter Llewelyn Sir Robert Baxter Llewelyn (1845–1919) was a colonial administrator in the British Empire. Appointments * 1878-1883: Commissioner of the Turks and Caicos Islands * 1885-1888: Governor of Tobago * 1886-1889: Administrator of Saint Vincent and t ...

, in establishing the framework of British rule in the Protectorate. He did this by issuing a series of ordinances that clarified and set out the system. Denton also led the punitive expedition against Fode Kaba in 1901, a leading resistance leader in the

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region, which led to Kaba's death. Denton also successfully argued against the requirements of the

Entente Cordiale The Entente Cordiale (; ) comprised a series of agreements signed on 8 April 1904 between the United Kingdom and the French Republic which saw a significant improvement in Anglo-French relations. Beyond the immediate concerns of colonial de ...

, which would have assigned a mid-river port on the Gambia to the French. Denton said that the port would destroy British trade on the river and was a key factor in the British delaying their planned cession until after

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, and, in the end, delay the plans indefinitely. In 1902, on leave from the Gambia in England, Denton brought the

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five mammals and five birds, which, according to the ''

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'', had been "unrepresented for a considerable time in the menagerie."

Mary Gaunt Mary Eliza Bakewell Gaunt (20 February 1861 – 19 January 1942) was an Australian novelist, born in Chiltern, Victoria. She also wrote collections of short stories, novellas, autobiographies, and non-fiction. She published her first novel ...

, upon meeting Denton, described him as "surely the nicest governor ever lucky colony had". Denton also made a contribution to domestic politics in the Gambia, appointing S. J. Forster, Jr, to the Legislative Council in 1906. Denton retired from the Gambia in December 1911. According to his obituary published in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' he ensured that "considerable progress was made both in the condition of the ambianpeople and in trade."

Retirement

Denton retired to England after his service in the Gambia concluded in 1911. He died in 1928 at

Chigwell Row Chigwell Row is a small village falling within the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located 12.9 miles (20.8 km) north east of Charing Cross. It has a London (020) area code, is served by London Buses route 150, and the closest London U ...

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denton, George Chardin 1851 births 1928 deaths Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Fellows of the Zoological Society of London Governors of the Gambia Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George