John Clements Wickham

John Clements Wickham (December 21 1798–January 6 1864) was naval officer and judge. He was a Lieutenant on HMS "Beagle" during her second survey mission from 1831 to 1836, which took the young naturalist Charles Darwin on what became the subject of his book, "The Voyage of the Beagle". Wickham was then made captain, and Commander of the "Beagle" on her third voyage which set off in 1837 and conducted various maritime expeditions and hydrographic surveys along the Australian coastline.

In 1839 Lieutenant John Lort Stokes sighted a natural harbour which Wickham named Port Darwin after their former shipmate, the naturalist. This later became a settlement which developed into the territorial capital and most populous city of Australia's Northern Territory. In 1841 Wickham fell ill and resigned his command which was taken over by Stokes, who continued the survey and completed the voyage in 1843. Darwin also took a Galapagos tortoise named Harriet which he gave to Wickham, who brought it to Brisbane. The tortoise gained fame for her longevity, living 175 years until 2006 [http://www.australiazoo.com.au/about-us/in-the-news/index.php?news=202 Australia Zoo - About Us - In The News - Harriet's 92 million minutes of fame ] ] .

Wickham became the first Government Resident at the Moreton Bay area of Brisbane, Queensland, where he was police magistrate from 1843 to 1859. From 1853 he was also Government Representative in the Moreton Bay colony. In 1859, Wickham moved to southern France, where he lived until his death in 1864.

In Brisbane, Wickham Terrace and Wickham Street as well as a Kedron sporting house are named in his honour. The Wickham River in The Northern Territory is named after him.

References

Further reading

*http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A020539b.htm
*http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/biogs/P000898b.htm
*http://www.courts.qld.gov.au/library/exhibition/athome/Newstead_JCW.html