Sir Philip Edmond Wodehouse, (27 February 1811 – 25 October 1887), was a

British colonial The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

administrator.

Background

Wodehouse was the eldest child of

Edmond Wodehouse Edmond Robert Wodehouse (3 June 1835 – 14 December 1914) was an English Liberal and Liberal Unionist politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1906. Biography Wodehouse was the only child of Sir Philip Edmond Wodehouse, Gove ...

and his wife and first cousin Lucy Wodehouse. His paternal grandfather Thomas Wodehouse and maternal grandfather Reverend Philip Wodehouse were both younger sons of

Sir Armine Wodehouse, 5th Baronet Sir Armine Wodehouse, 5th Baronet (c. 1714 – 21 May 1777), was a British Tory Member of Parliament. Wodehouse was the son of Sir John Wodehouse, 4th Baronet, and Mary Fermor. His unusual first name reflects his connection with the Armine Baro ...

, whose eldest son

John Wodehouse, 1st Baron Wodehouse John Wodehouse, 1st Baron Wodehouse (4 April 1741 – 29 May 1834), known as Sir John Wodehouse, 6th Baronet, from 1777 to 1797, was a British landowner, Member of Parliament and peer. Life Wodehouse was the son of Sir Armine Wodehouse, 5th Baro ...

, was the ancestor of the

earls of Kimberley Earl of Kimberley, of Kimberley in the County of Norfolk, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1866 for the prominent Liberal politician John Wodehouse, 3rd Baron Wodehouse. During his long political career, he not ...

Career

Wodehouse entered the

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Civil Service at an early age, and later served as superintendent of

British Honduras British Honduras was a British Crown colony on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony, renamed Belize in June 1973,

from 1851 to 1854. He then served as Governor of British Guiana from 1854 to 1861, where his unpopular measures (such as imposing a

head tax A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. Head taxes were important sources of revenue for many governments fr ...

) generated enormous riots that even saw him and his retinue attacked and pelted. Governor Philip Wodehouse and staff - Squib cartoon - 1869

In 1861, he was appointed

Governor of the Cape Colony This article lists the governors of British South African colonies, including the colonial prime ministers. It encompasses the period from 1797 to 1910, when present-day South Africa was divided into four British colonies namely: Cape Colony (p ...

and British

High Commissioner for Southern Africa The British office of high commissioner for Southern Africa was responsible for governing British possessions in Southern Africa, latterly the protectorates of Basutoland (now Lesotho), the Bechuanaland Protectorate (now Botswana) and Swaziland ...

, taking over from

Sir George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...

who had been recalled for disobeying imperial orders. His High Commission in Southern Africa was initially dominated by the dispute between the neighbouring states of

Basutoland Basutoland was a British Crown colony that existed from 1884 to 1966 in present-day Lesotho. Though the Basotho (then known as Basuto) and their territory had been under British control starting in 1868 (and ruled by Cape Colony from 1871), th ...

and the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...

but, via his arbitration, he managed to bring Basutoland under British control. His High Commission was also overshadowed, throughout its duration, by a growing movement in the Cape for a degree of independence under a system of "

responsible government Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive bran ...

". The local

Cape Parliament The Parliament of the Cape of Good Hope functioned as the legislature of the Cape Colony, from its founding in 1853, until the creation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, when it was dissolved and the Parliament of South Africa was establis ...

was elected by a system of multi-racial franchise, but had no executive power. The movement for "responsible government" (a democratically accountable executive) had immense local popularity, fueled by what was perceived to be the ineptitude of British imperial rule. Autocratic and unpopular, Wodehouse fought this growing independence movement throughout his Governorship, even attempting to dismantle the

and bring the Cape back under his direct rule as a

crown colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Counci ...

. Increasingly despotic, he, in turn, faced increasingly fierce opposition, led by local leader

John Molteno Sir John Charles Molteno (5 June 1814 – 1 September 1886) was a soldier, businessman, champion of responsible government and the first Prime Minister of the Cape Colony. Early life Born in London into a large Anglo-Italian family, Molten ...

, until he was recalled in 1870, amid great local celebration. He was then

Governor of Bombay Until the 18th century, Bombay consisted of seven islands separated by shallow sea. These seven islands were part of a larger archipelago in the Arabian sea, off the western coast of India. The date of city's founding is unclear—historians tr ...

from 1872 to 1877, when he retired from public life. He was made a CB in 1860, a KCB in 1862 and a

GCSI The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...

in 1876.

Personal life

Philip Edmond Wodehouse, Kensal Green Cemetery 01

Philip Edmond Wodehouse, Kensal Green Cemetery 02

Wodehouse married Katherine Mary Templer, daughter of

Francis Templer Francis James Templer (6 June 1791 - 22 October 1854) was a British civil servant, who served as the ninth Treasurer of Ceylon from 1 November 1843 to October 1854. He was a member of the 3rd executive council of British Ceylon, the Campbell ex ...

, in 1833. They had one child,

, who became

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 of ...

for

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

. Wodehouse died in October 1887, at the age of 76. He is buried in

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederic ...

Legacy

Wodehouse Peak, a prominent highpoint in

Golden Gate Highlands National Park Golden Gate Highlands National Park is located in Free State, South Africa, near the Lesotho border. It covers an area of . The park's most notable features are its golden, ochre, and orange-hued, deeply eroded sandstone cliffs and outcrops, es ...

is named after Philip Wodehouse, supposedly due to his suggestion that the border between the Boers and Basotho should follow the Rooiberge range. This suggestion, however, dates from 1845 when

Sir Peregrine Maitland General Sir Peregrine Maitland, GCB (6 July 1777 – 30 May 1854) was a British soldier and colonial administrator. He also was a first-class cricketer from 1798 to 1808 and an early advocate for the establishment of what would become the Canadi ...

governed the Cape, well before the 1861 governorship of Wodehouse. Wodehouse presided over the Convention of Aliwal-North which formally established the boundaries of Basotholand.

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wodehouse, Philip Governors of the Cape Colony 1811 births 1887 deaths Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Governors of Bombay

Philip Edmond Wodehouse Sir Philip Edmond Wodehouse (27 February 1811 – 25 October 1887) was a British colonial administrator. Biography Wodehouse was the eldest child of Edmond Wodehouse and his wife and first cousin Lucy Wodehouse. His paternal grandfather Tho ...

Governors of British Honduras Governors of British Guiana Members of the Bombay Legislative Council