James Emerson Tennent
James Emerson Tennent , originally James Emerson , (born April 7, 1804 in Belfast , † March 6, 1869 in London ) was a British politician , colonial administrator and writer . He is best known for books on Ceylon .
Life
James Emerson was the son of a Belfast merchant and attended Belfast Academy and Trinity College in Dublin. He was involved in the Greek struggle for freedom, about which he published several books, and was admitted to the bar at the Lincoln Inn in London in 1831. In the same year he married a wealthy heiress and took her last name (Tennent). From 1832 he was in Parliament for Belfast. In 1841 he became secretary of the Board of Control (which, among other things, was responsible for the supervision of the East India Company) and in 1845 he was ennobled and colonial secretary for Ceylon, which he remained until 1850. He also authored several books on Ceylon. On his return he became Member of Parliament for Lisburn and in 1852 Secretary of the Poor Law Board, which oversaw the observance of the poor laws. From 1852 to 1867 he was permanent secretary of the Board of Trade. When he left, he became a baron. Politically, he later sided with the Tories.
His 1859 book on Ceylon is encyclopedic and also deals with natural history. A number of scientists were involved in its creation, such as Robert Templeton .
He had a son (with whom Tennent's baron title died out) and two daughters.
He was friends with Charles Dickens , who dedicated Our Mutual Friend (1865) to him.
In 1862 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society .
Fonts
- Picture of Greece 1826
- Letters from the Aegean 1829
- History of Modern Greece 1830
- Christianity in Ceylon 1850
- Ceylon, Physical, Historical and Topographical, 2 volumes, Longman, Green 1859, Project Gutenberg
- Belgium in 1840, 1841
- Wine: its duties and taxation, 1855
- The wild elephant and the method of capturing it in Ceylon, 1867
- Sketches of the Natural History of Ceylon 1868, Project Gutenberg
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Tennent, James Emerson |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British politician and writer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 7, 1804 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Belfast |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 6, 1869 |
| Place of death | London |