Frederick Irwin

Frederick Irwin

Frederick Chidley Irwin (born March 22, 1794 in Drogheda , Ireland , † March 31, 1860 in Cheltenham , England ) was a British lieutenant colonel and governor of the colony of Western Australia .

Life

Frederick Irwin was born in 1794 to Pastor James Irwin. Some sources point to 1788 as the year of birth. In 1808 he joined the army and received several awards for his service in the " Peninsula War ". From 1816-17 he was first transferred to the Cape of Good Hope and later to Ceylon .

After the establishment of the colony of Western Australia in 1828, Irwin's cousin James Stirling was named its first governor. Irwin was also summoned to Australia as commander of the 63rd Infantry Regiment to protect the new colony. In 1829 he arrived with his regiment on board the HMS Sulfur in Australia.

In 1831, Stirling named Irwin Vice Chairman of the Western Australian Parliament. In addition, Irwin represented the governor during Stirling's absence between 1832 and 1833. In 1837 he was promoted to major and was given supreme command of the troops in Western Australia. In 1845 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

After the death of Governor Andrew Clarke in February 1847, he took over his office for a year. However, he was very unpopular among the settlers, he was described as strict and stubborn. During his time as governor, the colony was also in a serious economic crisis that Irwin could not end.

After the arrival of the new governor Charles Fitzgerald in August 1847, Irwin retained his post as military commander in chief until he retired from the army in 1852 and settled in England. He died in Cheltenham on March 31, 1860.

Works

• The State and Position of Western Australia, Commonly Called the Swan-River Settlement. Simpkin, Marshall. London, 1835.

literature

• David Mossenson: Irwin, Frederick Chidley (1794-1860) . In: Douglas Pike (Ed.): Australian Dictionary of Biography . Melbourne University Press, Carlton (Victoria) 1966–2012 (English).