William Thomas Denison
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Sir William Denison KCB |
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| 7th Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land | |
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In office 25 January 1847 – 8 January 1855 |
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| Preceded by | Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, Bt |
| Succeeded by | Sir Henry Young |
| 11th Governor of New South Wales | |
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In office 13 January 1855 – 21 January 1861 |
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| Preceded by | Charles Augustus FitzRoy |
| Succeeded by | Sir John Young, Bt |
| 27th Governor of Madras | |
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In office 1861–1866 |
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| Preceded by | William Ambrose Morehead |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Napier |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 May 1804 London, England |
| Died | 19 January 1871 (aged 66) East Sheen, Surrey, England |
| Spouse(s) | Caroline Hornby |
| Education | Eton College |
| Alma mater | Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst |
Sir William Thomas Denison, KCB (3 May 1804 – 19 January 1871) was Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land from 1847 to 1855, Governor of New South Wales from 1855 to 1861, and Governor of Madras from 1861 to 1866.
According to Percival Serle, Denison was a man of high character and a good administrator. In his early days in Tasmania he spoke too frankly about the colonists in communications which he regarded as confidential, and this accentuated the feeling against him as a representative of the colonial office during the anti-transportation and responsible government movements. He showed great interest in the life of the colony, and helped to foster education, science and trade, during the period when Tasmania was developing into a prosperous colony. In New South Wales his task was easier, and he had no difficulty in coping adequately with the problems that arose during the early days of responsible government in Australia.
Denison was the third son of John Denison, of Ossington, M.P. for Chichester and his second wife Charlotte Estwick, his brothers were Evelyn Denison (1800–1873), the future Speaker of the House of Commons, and clergymen Edward Denison (1801–1854) and George Anthony Denison (1805–1896). He was born in London and studied at a private school in Sunbury before going to study at Eton College and the Royal Military College (February 1819 – 1823) and entered the Royal Engineers in 1826 after spending some time in the Ordnance Survey. In November 1838 he married Caroline Hornby.
Lt. Denison was one of the junior Royal Engineers who worked under Lt. Colonel John By on the Rideau Canal in Upper Canada (1826–1832). Of note, Denison carried out experiments under the direction of Lt. Col. By to determine the strength, for construction purposes of the old growth Canadian timber in the vicinity of Bytown. His findings were published by the Institution of Civil Engineers in England who bestowed upon him the prestigious Telford Medal in silver.
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