Sir Maurice Charles Philip O'Connell KCH (1768 – 25 May 1848) was a commander of forces and

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-com ...

of colonial

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Early life

Maurice Charles O'Connell was born in Ireland in 1768. He had had a distinguished career in the army. His family the Tarmon branch of the O’Connell clan of Kerry, Munster were cousins to the Derrynane O’Connell family, such as Daniel O’Connell MP.

New South Wales

In 1809, he came with the newly appointed

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, Governor-General of Australia at the national level, the governor ...

Macquarie to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

in charge of the 73rd Regiment of Foot. There, in May 1810, O'Connell hastily married widow

Mary Putland Mary Bligh, Lady O'Connell (later Putland and later O'Connell) (1783–1864) was the Lady of First Government House, Sydney, Government House, New South Wales, Australia during the period her father William Bligh was the Governor of New South Wa ...

, the daughter of the deposed former governor

William Bligh William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was a Vice-admiral (Royal Navy), Royal Navy vice-admiral and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New South Wales from 1806 to 1808. He is best known for his role in the Muti ...

, shortly before Bligh's return to England. O'Connell also had a commission 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-com ...

, and so acted when Macquarie was absent in

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in the latter part of 1812. O'Connell was then on good terms with Macquarie, who, in November of that year, strongly recommended that his salary should be considerably increased. Although William Bligh had departed, his daughter, now Mary O'Connell, had not forgiven those who had deposed her father, creating tensions between her husband and others in the colony. O'Connell became involved in the quarrel and in August 1813 Macquarie in a dispatch to Lord Bathurst stated that, ''"though lieutenant-colonel O'Connell is naturally a very well disposed man . . . it would greatly improve the harmony of the country . . . if the whole of the officers and men of the 73 regiment were removed from it"''. On 26 March 1814 O'Connell and his regiment were transferred to

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. He attained the rank of major-general in 1830 and was knighted in 1835.

Return to New South Wales

In 1838, Maurice O'Connell returned to Sydney in command of the forces and was appointed a member of the

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. Along with the New South Wales Legislative As ...

. He was senior member of the executive council when, the question of the rights of Bligh's daughters to certain land granted to Bligh in 1806 having been again raised, Governor Gipps found himself in an extremely delicate position. The matter was settled by compromise in 1841. O'Connell was acting-governor of New South Wales from 12 July to 2 August 1846.

Later life

Maurice O'Connell died in Sydney on 25 May 1848, and received a full military funeral at St James' Church.

Legacy

O'Connell, New South Wales was named after him by

George Evans George Evans may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George "Honey Boy" Evans (1870–1915), American songwriter and entertainer * George Evans (bandleader) (1915–1993), English jazz bandleader, arranger and tenor saxophonist * George Evans (sin ...

, when Evans followed the route of Blaxland, Lawson, and Wentworth in crossing the Blue Mountains ''Two Journals of Early Exploration in New South Wales''
by George William Evans. Entry for Wednesday, Decr. 6th, 1813. Retrieved 7 March 2014 as were streets in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

and

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct (Australia), precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. Laid out in a grid plan in three section ...

. His son, Sir Maurice Charles O'Connell, was also a member of the Legislative Council (1845-1849) and then a member of the

Queensland Legislative Council Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, ...

(1860-1879).

External links

OConnell, Maurice
at the Dictionary of Sydney.

References

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:O'Connell, Maurice Charles 1768 births 1848 deaths Lieutenant-governors of New South Wales Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Maurice Irish emigrants to colonial Australia