Colin Campbell (politician)

Major-General Sir Colin Campbell, KCB (1776-13 June 1847) was a British Army officer and colonial governor.

Military career

In February 1792, at the age of 16, Campbell ran away from Perth Academy to join a vessel bound for the West Indies. He returned to Scotland to enter Moor's Navigation Academy in Perth but in December 1792 sailed for India as a midshipman.

Appointed a lieutenant in the Breadalbane Fencibles in February 1795, he transferred in 1799 to the 1st West India Regiment as an ensign, serving as a brigade-major on St Vincent in 1800. On 21 Aug. 1801 Campbell entered the 35th Foot as a lieutenant and on 12 Feb. 1802 he joined the 78th Foot, which was in India as part of the army of Colonel Arthur Wellesley (who became the Duke of Wellington).

During the attack on Ahmadnagar on 8 Aug. 1803, Campbell so impressed Wellesley by his bravery under fire that he was made a brigade-major. Campbell, who was promoted captain on 9 Jan. 1805, returned to England as aide-de-camp to Lord Wellesley, Arthur’s brother. He accompanied Arthur Wellesley on the expedition to Copenhagen in 1807 and was thanked by him in general orders. Acting successively as assistant adjutant general, assistant deputy quartermaster general, and assistant quartermaster general, he served with Wellesley in Portugal and Spain during the Peninsular War and at Waterloo.

On 2 Sept. 1808 Campbell became a major, on 3 May 1810 a lieutenant-colonel, and on 4 June 1814 a colonel. He received numerous British and foreign decorations, and on 2 Jan. 1815 he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. From 1815 until 1818 he remained on Wellington’s staff and lived at the latter’s residence in Paris, and between 1819 and 1825 he did duty with his regiment in England. On 27 May 1825 he became a major-general.

Colonial administrator

*Governor of Nova Scotia, January 1834-1841.
*Governor of Ceylon, 1841-1847.
* The Soup, 2008

Family

Fifth son of John Campbell of Melfort and Colina Campbell of Achallader, daughter of John Campbell of Achallader. Married Jane Hendon, and they had four sons and three daughters. His daughter Maria married the Hon Edmund Phipps, son of Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave and was the mother of ambassador Sir Constantine Phipps, father of ambassador Sir Eric Phipps

External links

* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=3290 Biography at "the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
* [http://anglicanhistory.org/canada/ns/eaton/16.html C of E in Nova Scotia]
** [http://anglicanhistory.org/about.html About Project Canterbury] (public domain)
* [http://www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/Facts/LtRemove.htm Successful address by the legislature of NS to have him recalled]
* [http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?LinkID=mp00720 National Portrait Gallery]