Henry William Stisted

Major-General Sir Henry William Stisted, KCB (1817 – 10 December 1875), served as the first Lieutenant Governor of Ontario after Confederation, from 1867 to 1868.

Born in 1817 in St-Omer, France, to a British army officer and his wife, Henry Stisted studied at Sandhurst and entered the British Army in 1835. He served in Afghanistan and Persia and was in the advance guard of Havelock's force at the relief of Lucknow in 1857. He was appointed Major General in 1864 and divisional commander of British forces in Canada in 1866. General Stisted became the first Lieutenant Governor of Ontario in 1867 and served until 1868. He was instrumental in opening up the northern part of the province for development. He was knighted in 1871 and married Maria Burton, sister of explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton, in 1875. He died in Upper Norwood, Surrey, in 1875.

Stisted, son of Charles Stisted, lieutenant-colonel of the 3rd Hussars, who died on 24 July 1842, by his wife Eliza, daughter of Major-general Burn, was born at St. Omer, France, in 1817.

After being educated at Sandhurst, he entered the army as an ensign in the 2nd foot on 4 December 1835, and served with his regiment in Afghanistan and Beloochistan, taking part in the storming of Ghuznee, where he was wounded at the gateway, the capture of Khelat, and the occupation of Kabul, for which he received a medal. On 19 April 1850 he was gazetted lieutenant-colonel of the 78th foot, and in the Persian war of 1856 and 1857 commanded a brigade in the night attack and battle of Kooshat, and took charge of his own regiment at the bombardment of Mohamrah, after which he received the thanks of the governor-general as well as a medal and clasps. He commanded the advanced guard of Havelock's force at the relief of Lucknow, 25 September 1857, when (on Brigadier-general James George Smith Neill [q.v.] being killed) he was appointed to command the first brigade. That post he held until the close of the operations, when on 1 January 1858 he was nominated C.B. In that year he served also in Rohilcund, and commanded the second brigade at the battle of Bareilly on 7 May.

He became lieutenant-colonel of the 93rd foot on 30 September 1859, and served with the field force against the mountain tribes on the north-west frontier of India in December 1863. He was nominated to a divisional command in Canada in 1867, and appointed lieutenant-governor of Ontario in June of the same year. For his services in this capacity he received the thanks of the governor-general of Canada, and was nominated a K.C.B. on 20 May 1871. On 5 February 1873 he was appointed a lieutenant-general, and was nominated colonel of the 93rd foot on 28 September 1873.

He died at Wood House, Upper Norwood, Surrey, on 10 December 1875, having married in 1845 Maria, sister of Sir Richard Francis Burton.

External links

* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=5280 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]

References

*DNB