Charles La Trobe CB |
|
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1st Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria | |
In office 15 July 1851 – 5 May 1854 |
|
Monarch | Queen Victoria |
Succeeded by | Sir Charles Hotham |
1st Superintendent of Port Phillip | |
In office 4 February 1839 – 14 July 1851 |
|
Governor |
George Gipps Charles FitzRoy |
Personal details | |
Born |
Charles Joseph La Trobe 20 March 1801 London, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
Died | 4 December 1875 Litlington, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
(aged 74)
Resting place | Litlington Church |
Nationality | British |
Spouse(s) | Sophie de Montmollin (1835–1854) Rose Isabelle de Meuron (1855–1875) |
family motto is Whoever seeks shall find |
Charles Joseph La Trobe, CB (or Latrobe; 20 March 1801 – 4 December 1875) was appointed in 1839 superintendent of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales and, after the establishment in 1851 of the colony of Victoria (now a state of Australia), he became its first lieutenant-governor.
La Trobe was a strong supporter of religious, cultural and educational institutions. During his time as superintendent and lieutenant-governor he oversaw the establishment of the Botanical Gardens, and provided leadership and support to the formation of entities such as the Mechanic's Institute, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the Royal Philharmonic, the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the University of Melbourne.
La Trobe was the nephew of British architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe.
Charles La Trobe was born in London, the son of Christian Ignatius Latrobe, a leader of the Moravian Church, from a family of French Huguenot descent, whose mother was a member of the Moravian Church born in the United States. He was educated in England and later spent time in Switzerland and was active in mountaineering; he made a number of ascents in the Alps 1824–26. La Trobe wrote several travel books describing his experiences: The Alpenstock: Or Sketches of Swiss Scenery and Manners (1829) and The Pedestrian: A Summer's Ramble in the Tyrol (1832).
In 1832 he visited the United States along with Count Albert Pourtales, and in 1834 travelled from New Orleans to Mexico with Washington Irving. He then wrote The Rambler in North America (1835) and The Rambler in Mexico (1836).