Thomas Brisbane
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Major General Sir Thomas Brisbane, 1st Bt GCB GCH FRS FRSE |
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| 6th Governor of New South Wales | |
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In office 1 December 1821 – 1 December 1825 |
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| Preceded by | Lachlan Macquarie |
| Succeeded by | Ralph Darling |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
23 July 1773 Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland |
| Died | 27 January 1860 (aged 86) Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
Major General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1st Baronet, GCB GCH FRS FRSE (23 July 1773 – 27 January 1860), was a British soldier, administrator, and astronomer. Upon the recommendation of the Duke of Wellington, with whom he had served, he was appointed governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825. A keen astronomer, he built Australia's first observatory and encouraged scientific and agricultural training. Rivals besmirched his reputation and the British Secretary of State for the Colonies, Lord Bathurst, recalled Brisbane and his colonial secretary Frederick Goulburn. Brisbane, a new convict settlement, was named in his honour and is now among the largest cities in Australia.
Brisbane was born at Brisbane House in Noddsdale, near Largs in Ayrshire, Britain, the son of Sir Thomas Brisbane and Dame Eleanora Brisbane. He was educated in astronomy and mathematics at the University of Edinburgh. He joined the British Army the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot in 1789 and had a distinguished career in Flanders, the West Indies, Spain and North America. He served under the Duke of Wellington, and in 1813 he was promoted to Major-General. He saw much action during the Peninsular War, including leading a brigade in the 3rd Division that broke through at the Battle of Vitoria. He continued as a brigade commander in the War of 1812, where in 1814 he led a brigade at the Battle of Plattsburgh, which Brisbane claimed they could have won if they had been allowed to launch a full infantry attack. During the battle, he used the Charles C. Platt Homestead as his headquarters. For his services in the Peninsula, Brisbane received the Army Gold Cross with one clasp for the battles of Vitoria, the Pyrenees, Nivelle, Orthez, and Toulouse; and the silver war medal with one clasp for the Nive.
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