Wilfred Collet
Sir Wilfred Collet | |
|---|---|
| Governor of British Honduras | |
| In office 19 May 1913 – January 1918 | |
| Preceded by | Eric John Eagles Swayne |
| Succeeded by | William Hart-Bennett |
| Governor of British Guiana | |
| In office 15 April 1917 – 4 April 1923 | |
| Preceded by | Walter Egerton |
| Succeeded by | Graeme Thomson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 November 1856[1] Islington, London |
| Died | 29 June 1929 |
| Resting place | Highgate Cemetery |
| Citizenship | British |
Sir Wilfred ColletKCMG(23 November 1856 – 1929) was a British colonial administrator who was governor ofBritish Hondurasand then ofBritish Guiana.
Background
[edit]Wilfred Collet was born in Islington, London in 1856, the son of noted radical reformerCollet Dobson Colletand nephew ofSophia Dobson ColletandEdward Dobson.His family had a tradition of overseas service. A great-great-great uncle,Joseph Collett,had been an official in theEast India Companyand President of Madras (8 January 1717 – 18 January 1720).[2]His sisterClara Collet(1860–1948) was a noted social reformer during the early part of the twentieth century.
He studied music atTrinity College, London.[3] In 1875, he and his sister Clara were frequently in contact with theKarl Marxfamily. Wilfred Collet obtained his degree fromUniversity College, Londonin 1881 and joined the Colonial service.[4]
Early career
[edit]In the British colonial service, Collet held the positions of Assistant Native Commissioner,Fiji,Secretary to the High Commissioner, West Pacific (1884–1897), and then District Commissioner,Cyprus(1897–1905).[5] In 1905 he was appointed Colonial Secretary, British Honduras. On 9 May 1913, he was appointed Governor of British Honduras, holding office until January 1918. In 1915 he was knighted.[6]
Governor of British Guiana
[edit]Collet wasGovernor of British Guianafrom 15 April 1917 until 4 April 1923, when he retired.[7]
In February 1922, a three-man delegation from India visited British Guiana, consisting of the Deputy President of theMadras Legislative Assembly,and member of theServants of India Societyand the Director of Agriculture of Bombay. The delegation wanted to discuss a proposal fortranslocating Indian labourersto work on the sugar plantations. Collet was not favourable to the scheme but eventually proposed a new plan with much fewer benefits. The Indians also were not entirely positive since the price of sugar was falling, so wages would fall also. No decision had been made when Collet retired in 1923, handing over to SirGraeme Thomson.[8]
Other
[edit]
In 1926, Collet was a member of thePolynesian Society.[9]
He was appointed Companion of theOrder of St Michael and St George(C.M.G.) in 1897 and knighted (K.C.M.G.) in 1915.[5]
He died on 29 June 1929 and was buried on the eastern side ofHighgate Cemetery.
Works
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage.Burke's Peerage Limited. 1907. p. 1886.Retrieved1 February2021.
- ^Peter D. Groenewegen (1994).Feminism and political economy in Victorian England.E. Elgar. p. 149.ISBN978-1-85278-928-2.
- ^Francis Michael Longstreth Thompson (1990).The University of London and the world of learning, 1836–1986.Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 192.ISBN978-1-85285-032-6.
- ^McDonald, Deborah (2004).Clara Collet 1860–1948: An Educated Working Woman.Woburn Press. pp. 22, 199.ISBN978-0-7130-4060-9.
- ^abWhitaker's peerage, baronetage, knightage and companionage.1917. p. 282.
- ^"Belise".WorldStatesmen.Retrieved3 September2011.
- ^"Guyana".WorldStatesmen.Retrieved3 September2011.
- ^"CONTINUING EFFORTS TO REVIVE INDIAN IMMIGRATION".Guyana.org.Retrieved3 September2011.
- ^"MEMBERS OF THE POLYNESIAN SOCIETY As from 1st January, 1926".The Journal of the Polynesian Society.35.1926.Retrieved3 September2011.