Sir John Hawley Glover (24 February 1829 – 30 September 1885) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

officer who served as Governor of

Lagos Colony Lagos Colony was a British colonial possession centred on the port of Lagos in what is now southern Nigeria. Lagos was annexed on 6 August 1861 under the threat of force by Commander Beddingfield of HMS Prometheus who was accompanied by the Ac ...

, Governor of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, and Governor of

British Leeward Islands The British Leeward Islands was a British colony from 1671 to 1958, consisting of the English (later British) overseas possessions in the Leeward Islands. It ceased to exist from 1816 to 1833, during which time it was split into two separate c ...

Naval career

He entered the service in 1841 and passed his examination as lieutenant in 1849, but did not receive a commission till May 1851. He served on various stations, and was wounded severely in an action with the Burmese at

Donabew Danubyu ( my, ဓနုဖြူမြို့ ) is a town in the Ayeyarwady Division of south-west Myanmar, located on the west bank of the Ayeyarwaddy River in the Ayeyarwaddy Delta. It is the seat of the Danubyu Township in the Maubin Distri ...

(4 February 1853). During his years of service as lieutenant in the navy he gained considerable experience off the coast of Africa, and took part in the expedition of Dr WB Baikie up the

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languages

Governor of Lagos Colony

On 21 April 1863, he was appointed administrator of the government of

, and in that capacity, or as colonial secretary, he remained there till 1872. His style of governing Lagos was controversial to officials in the British Colonial office who complained about his "disregard for all rules and orders". To Lagosians, however, Glover was popular and was affectionally called ''Oba Globar'' because of his adoption of patterns rooted in local culture. He presided over many Lagosians disputes, bypassing newly instituted colonial courts. He shrewdly cultivated relationships with Lagosians such as

Oshodi Tapa Chief Oshodi Landuji Tapa (c.1800 – 1868) was Oba Kosoko's war captain and one of the most powerful chiefs in the Oba of Lagos' court. Origins Oshodi Tapa is reported to have been a slave from the Nupe Kingdom at Bida who was indentured to Ob ...

Kosoko Kosoko (died 1872) was a member of the Ologun Kutere Lagos Royal Family who reigned as Oba of Lagos from 1845 to 1851. His father was Oba Osinlokun and his siblings were Idewu Ojulari (who was Oba from 1829 to 1834/35), Olufunmi, Odunsi, Ladeg ...

, and

Taiwo Olowo Chief Daniel Conrad Taiwo (1781 – February 20, 1901), alias Taiwo Olowo (translated as "Taiwo the Rich man"), was a trader, arms dealer, slave owner, political power broker, philanthropist and community leader in Colonial Lagos. Early life Tai ...

who were previously beneficiaries of the

Trans Atlantic Slave Trade The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and i ...

and encouraged them along the path of legitimate commerce. Curiously, these were political foes of the now weakened

Oba of Lagos The Oba of Lagos, also known as the Eleko of Eko, is the traditional ruler ( Oba) of Lagos. The Oba is a ceremonial Yoruba sovereign with no political power, but is sought as a counsel or sponsor by politicians who seek support from the residen ...

Dosunmu Dosunmu (c. 1823 – 1885), referred to in British documents as Docemo, reigned as Oba of Lagos from 1853, when he succeeded his father Oba Akitoye, until his own death in 1885. He was forced to run away to Britain under the threat of force in A ...

who ceded Lagos to Britain in August 1861 under the

Lagos Treaty of Cession The Treaty of Cession, 6 August 1861 or the Lagos Treaty of Cession was a treaty between the British Empire and Oba Dosunmu of Lagos (spelt 'Docemo' in English documents) wherein Dosunmu, under the threat of military bombardment, ceded Lagos Isl ...

. In return, Glover's cultivated network of Lagosian loyalists provided him with intelligence and information that enabled him to govern effectively.

Establishing the forerunner of the Nigerian Army and Police

Glover formed the nucleus of present-day Nigeria's Army and Police with 10

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also * ...

runaway slaves on 1 June 1863. The group was known as Glover's Hausas or 'Glover's Forty Thieves'. Glover went to great lengths to develop bonds of personal loyalty with the Armed Hausas. He personally trained, commanded, and chose his successors, ensuring their loyalty. In return for their loyalty, Glover rewarded his troops with land and dwellings. He raised their pay and provided them with smart uniforms that broadcast their status of free men and agents of the British colonial government. After this period Glover was employed to repel incursions of the

Ashantis The Asante, also known as Ashanti () are part of the Akan ethnic group and are native to the Ashanti Region of modern-day Ghana. Asantes are the last group to emerge out of the various Akan civilisations. Twi is spoken by over nine million Asant ...

. When the

Third Anglo-Ashanti War The Anglo-Ashanti wars were a series of five conflicts that took place between 1824 and 1900 between the Ashanti Empire—in the Akan interior of the Gold Coast—and the British Empire and its African allies. Though the Ashanti emerged victorio ...

broke out in 1873, Captain Glover undertook the task of organizing the native people, whose hatred of the Ashantis might be expected to make them favourable to the British authorities—to the extent at least to which their fears would allow them to act. His services were accepted, and in September 1873, he landed at

Cape Coast Cape Coast is a city, fishing port, and the capital of Cape Coast Metropolitan District and Central Region of Ghana. It is one of the country's most historic cities, a World Heritage Site, home to the Cape Coast Castle, with the Gulf of Guinea ...

in the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

and, after forming a small trustworthy force of

, marched to Accra. His influence sufficed to gather a numerous native force,. In January 1874, Captain Glover was able to render some assistance in the taking of

Kumasi Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is the ...

, but it was at the head of a Hausa force. His services were acknowledged by Parliament and by his appointment to Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

in the

1874 Birthday Honours The 1874 Birthday Honours were appointments by Queen Victoria to Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to ...

Governor of Newfoundland, and Leeward Islands

In 1875, he was appointed governor of

and held the post till 1881, when he was transferred to the

Leeward Islands french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth Atlantic Ocean , coor ...

. He returned to Newfoundland in 1883 as governor again.

Death and legacy

Glover died in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on 30 September 1885. Lady Glover's ''Life'' of her husband appeared in 1897. Lagosians raised money in 1885 to build a public hall in his memory - Glover Memorial Hall, situated on land donated by

Madam Tinubu Efunroye Tinubu ( 1810 – 1887), born Ẹfúnpọ̀róyè Ọ̀ṣuntinúbú, was a powerful Yoruba female aristocrat, merchant, and slave trader in pre-colonial and colonial Nigeria. She was a politically and economically influential figure in L ...

, a sometimes adversary and collaborator of Glover. There is also a memorial to him in

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

in London. The

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

of Glovers Harbour in Newfoundland is named after him. Smallwood, J.R., R.D.W. Pitt, C. Horan & B.G. Riggs (eds.) (1984)
Glovers Harbour
p. 539–540In: '' Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador. Volume 2: Fac–Hoy.'' Newfoundland Book Publishers, St. John's. xiii + 1104 pp. .

References

* *

External links

Biography at Government House ''The Governorship of Newfoundland and Labrador''Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glover, John Hawley 1829 births 1885 deaths Royal Navy officers British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Ashanti War Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Governors of Newfoundland Colony Governors of the Lagos Colony British expatriates in Ghana Ghanaian police officers History of Lagos Military history of Nigeria Royal Navy West Africa Squadron personnel Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery Chief secretaries (British Empire) People of colonial Nigeria