Robert Wilmot-Horton, 3rd Baronet
|
The Right Honourable Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton Bt FRS GCH |
|
|---|---|
Portrait of Wilmot-Horton in the 1820s
by Richard James |
|
| 6th Governor of British Ceylon | |
|
In office 23 October 1831 – 7 November 1837 |
|
| Monarch |
William IV Victoria |
| Preceded by |
John Wilson acting governor |
| Succeeded by | James Alexander Stewart-Mackenzie |
| Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies |
|
|
In office 1821 – 21 January 1828 |
|
| Monarch | George IV |
| Prime Minister |
The Earl of Liverpool George Canning The Viscount Goderich |
| Preceded by | Henry Goulburn |
| Succeeded by | Hon. Edward Stanley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 December 1784 |
| Died | 31 May 1841 (aged 56) |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | Anne Horton |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
Sir Robert John Wilmot-Horton, 3rd Baronet, GCH, PC, FRS (21 December 1784 – 31 May 1841) was a British politician, pamphleteer and colonial administrator during the first third of the 19th century. He was Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies between 1821 and 1828 and Governor of Ceylon between 1831 and 1837 but is best remembered for his writings on assisted emigration to the colonies.
Born Robert John Wilmot, Wilmot-Horton was the only son of Sir Robert Wilmot, 2nd Baronet, of Osmaston, near Derby (see Wilmot baronets), and his first wife Juliana Elizabeth (née Byron). He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford.
Wilmot-Horton was a Canningite supporter of free trade and Catholic emancipation among the Tories. He sat as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Newcastle-under-Lyme from 1818 until 1830. He served under the Earl of Liverpool, George Canning and Lord Goderich as Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies from 1821 to 1827 and was sworn of the Privy Council in 1827. He reorganised the Colonial Office, including dividing the Empire into areas with a senior clerk responsible for administering each area.
...
Wikipedia