- Willoughby Shortland
Willoughby Shortland (1804-1869) was a British naval officer and colonial administrator.
He was
New Zealand 's first Colonial Secretary, having taken up the post when he arrived in New Zealand withLieutenant Governor William Hobson on29 January 1840 .Biography
Shortland, born in 1804, was the son of Captain
Thomas George Shortland .Edward Shortland andPeter Frederick Shortland were his brothers. Willoughby was educated at theRoyal Naval College , and entered the service on 9 January 1818. Beinggazette d alieutenant on 18 August 1828, he served in the Galatea, 42 guns, and in the following year in the Ranger, 28 guns, on theJamaica station. On 21 March 1831 he took the command of the Skipjack, aschooner of 5 guns, and in her remained in theWest Indies until June 1833.cite web | last =Boase | first =G. C.| authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Shortland, Willoughby (1804–1869), naval officer and colonial administrator | work =Dictionary of National Biography Vol. XVII | publisher =Smith, Elder & Co. | date = 1897 | url = http://www.oxforddnb.com/templates/olddnb.jsp?articleid=25468 | format = HTML | accessdate = 2007-12-21]Colonial work
In 1839 he accompanied Captain William Hobson, the first governor of New Zealand, to that colony, which had not then been annexed by
England . Landing atAuckland on 29 January 1840, the Britishsovereignty was proclaimed, and Lieutenant Shortland appointed colonial secretary. He proceeded to Port Nicholson,Wellington , and the English living there very willingly acknowledged Queen Victoria's authority and Shortland's nomination as their policemagistrate . On the death of Captain Hobson on 10 September 1842, the lieutenant administered the government of New Zealand until the arrival of CaptainRobert Fitzroy on 31 December 1843. During Shortland's temporary government theWairau Affray took place on 17 June 1843, and in his dispatches to the British government he expressed his disapproval of the conduct of the settlers, to which he attributed the massacre. This action made him unpopular, and, when a report of his nomination as Governor of New Zealand was circulated, a petition was sent from Auckland praying that he might not be appointed.On 31 December 1843 he resigned the colonial secretaryship, and in 1845 became president of the island of
Nevis in theLeeward Islands . Removing from Nevis, he was governor ofTobago from 10 January 1854 until 1856, and then, returning to England, resided on his property, Courtlands, Charleton,Kingsbridge ,Devon , until his death there on 7 October 1869. On 1 July 1864 he had been gazetted a retiredcommander in the navy. He married, in 1842, Isabella Kate Johnston, daughter of Robert A. Fitzgerald of Geraldine,County Limerick .References
Notes
*DNB
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