Samuel Blackall

Samuel Wensley Blackall (1 May 1809 – 2 January 1871) was an Irish soldier and politician, who was the second Governor of Queensland from 1868 until he died in office in 1871.[1][2]

Colonel Samuel Blackall
2nd Governor of Queensland
In office 14 August 1868 – 2 January 1871
Monarch	Queen Victoria
Preceded by	Sir George Bowen
Succeeded by	George Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby
Personal details
Born	1 May 1809 Dublin, Ireland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Died	2 January 1871 (aged 61) Brisbane, Queensland
Resting place	Toowong Cemetery, Queensland
Nationality	Irish
Spouse(s)	Georgiana Rowles (1833-1853) Catherine Bond (1858-1864)
Profession	Politician

Early life

Blackall was born in Dublin, Ireland into a prosperous Irish family and attended Trinity College, Dublin at the age of 15, but did not graduate. In 1827 he joined the 85th (Bucks Volunteers) Regiment of Foot, as an ensign and was appointed a lieutenant in 1832. He sold his commission in 1833 after five years service and joined the Royal Longford Militia, as a major.[3]

Public life

He entered Irish public life in 1833, becoming High Sheriff of Longford for 1833 and, several years later, high sheriff of County Tyrone for 1862.[3][4] In between those appointments, he spent four years as an MP in the British House of Commons for the constituency of Longford.

Monument at the burial site of Samuel Blackall at Brisbane's Toowong Cemetery

Blackall Memorial Fountain, Ipswich

SS Governor Blackall (merchant ship)

From 1851 to 1857, he worked in the colonial service as Lieutenant-Governor of Dominica. After some trouble with the Colonial Office, he returned to colonial service as governor of Sierra Leone, then governor in chief at the West African Settlements from 1865, and then Governor of Queensland from 1868. Blackall's tenure as governor was dominated by a constitutional crisis caused by a deadlock in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland.

Death and legacy

By 1870, Blackall's health was declining rapidly, and shortly after selecting the highest burial site at the new Toowong Cemetery, he died in office on 2 January 1871.

The town of Blackall in Queensland was named after him, as was the Blackall Range and Blackall Terrace in East Brisbane and the merchant ship SS Governor Blackall.[3]

References

1. Note: Blackall was not the same Samuel Blackall who was linked with Jane Austen as a potential suitor. The latter was a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, of whom Jane commented in letters to her sister Cassandra, 'There is less love and more sense in it than sometimes appeared before, and I am very satisfied. It will all go on exceedingly well and decline away in a very reasonable manner". See: Marghanita Laski (1977) Jane Austen and her world, Thames and Hudson London. p. 46
2. Morrison, A. A. (1969). "Blackall, Samuel Wensley (1809 - 1871)". Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol 3. Melbourne University Press. pp. 172–173.
3. Roberts, Beryl (1991). Stories of the Southside. Archerfield, Queensland: Aussie Books. p. 114. ISBN 0-947336-01-X.
4. "High Sheriffs, 1862". The Cavan Observer. 18 January 1862. Retrieved 9 July 2009.

External links

• Mennell, Philip (1892). "Blackall, Col. Samuel Wensley" . The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co – via Wikisource.
• Blackall, Samuel Wensley — Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Samuel Blackall