David Collins (governor)
| David Collins | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 1st Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land | |
|
In office 16 February 1804 – 24 March 1810 |
|
| Succeeded by | Colonel Thomas Davey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 March 1756 London, England |
| Died | 24 March 1810 (aged 54) Hobart, Van Diemens Land |
| Spouse(s) | Mary (Maria Stuart) Proctor |
Colonel David Collins (3 March 1756 – 24 March 1810) was a British Irish administrator of Britain's first Australian colonies.
In the first European settlement of Australia in 1788, Collins was the founding Lieutenant Governor of the Colony of New South Wales. In 1803 he led the expedition to found the first, short-lived, British settlement in what was later to become the Colony of Victoria. In 1804, Collins became the founding Lieutenant Governor of the Colony of Van Diemens Land, which in 1901 became the state of Tasmania.
Collins was born in London, the third child of Major-General Arthur Tooker Collins (1718-1793), of the Royal Marines - the son of Arthur Collins (antiquarian) - by his wife Henrietta Caroline Fraser, daughter of George Fraser of Park and Cuba Court (see entry under 'Architecture, buildings and structures' of Banagher), High Sheriff of King's County.
A Compendium of Irish Biography (1878), states that he was born at the home of his maternal grandparents in County Offaly, then known as King's County. Collins went to Exeter Grammar School before joining the Royal Marines as an Ensign at the age of 14. He was promoted second lieutenant on 20 February 1771. He was serving aboard HMS Southampton when Queen Matilda of Denmark was dramatically rescued.
Collins went to North America early in 1775, and fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill, where the British suffered heavy casualties, but held the heights of Charlestown. He was promoted to first lieutenant the following week.
...
Wikipedia