His Excellency, Major-General Richard Clement Moody FICE FRGS RIBA |
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Richard Clement Moody, 1859
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Governor of the Falkland Islands (1841-1848), Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia (as Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works for British Columbia and Officer commanding Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment) (1858-1863) | |
Monarch | Queen Victoria |
Personal details | |
Born |
Barbados, West Indies. |
13 February 1813
Died | 31 March 1887 Bournemouth, England |
(aged 74)
Resting place | St Peter's Church, Bournemouth. |
Nationality | British |
Spouse(s) | Mary Hawks, daughter of Joseph Hawks JP DL, Sheriff of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Married 1852. |
Relations | Benedictus Marwood Kelly, James William Webb-Jones |
Children | 13, 11 of which survived infancy, including Richard Stanley Hawks Moody |
Parents | Thomas Moody (1779–1849), Martha Clement (1764–1868) |
Residence | Government House, New Westminster |
Alma mater | Royal Military Academy, Woolwich |
Occupation | Major-General in British Army, Colonel in Royal Engineers, Politician, Architect. |
Religion | Church of England |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/branch | British Army and Royal Engineers. |
Rank | Major-General in British Army, Colonel in Royal Engineers. |
Commands | Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment |
a. ^ Until 1843, the official title was Lieutenant-Governor of the Falkland Islands |
His Excellency, Major-General Richard Clement Moody FICE FRGS RIBA (13 February 1813 – 31 March 1887) was a British Imperial Governor and Royal Engineer.
He was the founder of British Columbia as Colony of British Columbia (1858–66), having been hand picked to "found a second England on the shores of the Pacific". The Colonial Office under Lord Lytton desired to send to the nascent Colony 'representatives of the best of British culture' who possessed ‘courtesy, high breeding and urbane knowledge of the world’ and decided to send Moody, whom the British Government considered to be the archetype of the 'English gentleman and British Officer’ as Commander of the Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment, Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works for British Columbia, and the first Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia. Moody is considered to be the founding father of British Columbia. He selected the site for and founded the new capital of British Columbia, New Westminster, established the Cariboo Road and Stanley Park, and named Burnaby Lake after his private secretary Robert Burnaby and Port Coquitlam's 400-foot "Mary Hill" after his wife, Mary. He also designed the first Coat of arms of British Columbia.Port Moody in British Columbia is named after him.