John Montagu (Colonial Secretary)
John Montagu (born August 21, 1797, presumably in India, † November 4, 1853 in London ) was the British colonial secretary of the Cape Colony from 1843 to 1853 .
Montagu comes from the Duke of Manchester family and was the second son of Edward Montagu (1755-1799), an officer in the Bengal Army and his wife Barbara (nee Fleetwood). His school education took place in Cheam ( Surrey ) in Knightsbridge as well as by a private tutor.
At the age of 17 he entered the military in February 1814 and fought as a young officer in the Battle of Waterloo . After his marriage to Jessy, daughter of Major-General Vaughan Worsley and niece of George Arthur (Governor of Van Diemen's Land ), he took up a position in colonial service on Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania ) in 1823 . In May 1824 the couple reached Hobart Town by ship .
In 1843 Montagu was appointed Colonial Secretary of the Cape of Good Hope Colony .
His greatest accomplishments include reforming the Cape Colony's financial system and reducing its fiscal debt. Reforms of prison labor and health care regulations followed, as well as the establishment of schools and improvements in the judiciary. He encouraged the construction of roads to facilitate trade and stimulate the economy. In order to keep the costs for the road construction low, he used prisoners on a large scale . During his tenure, many passes and roads were built that are still important transport links in South Africa today.
At the end of his life his health deteriorated considerably, which led him to move to England with his family in May 1852.
The small town of Montagu and the Montagu Pass were named after him.
Web links
- John Reynolds: Australian Dictionary of Biography: Montagu, John (1797-1853) . online from the National Center of Biography, Australian National University at www.anu.edu.au (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Eric Rosenthal: Southern African Dictionary of National Biography . Frederick & Warne, London, New York 1966, p. 257
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Montagu, John |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British Colonial Secretary of the Cape Colony |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 21, 1797 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | unsure: India |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 4, 1853 |
| Place of death | London |