Robert Montgomery (colonial administrator)

For other people of the same name, see Robert Montgomery (disambiguation).
Photograph by Felice Beato, 1858

Sir Robert Montgomery, GCSI, KCB (born 2 December 1809, Moville, County Donegal, Ireland – died 28 December 1887, India) was a British colonial administrator in India.

Life

Montgomery was born at the family seat at New Park, Moville. He was educated at Foyle College, Derry; Wraxall Hall School, Wiltshire; and, from 1823 to 1825, at Addiscombe Military Seminary, Croydon, Surrey.[1] In 1827 he was appointed to the Indian Civil Service.

He married in India and brought up a family. His second son was Henry Hutchinson Montgomery, father of Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery. Henry inherited the family estate in Ireland after his father's death.[2]

His first notable position was as a commissioner in Cawnpore. In May 1857, at the start of the Indian Mutiny, he was in Lahore in the Punjab,[3] where he was Judicial Commissioner (and in-charge of Chief Commissioner at Lahore) of the province. He immediately had the native garrison disarmed, which prevented them from taking any action in the rebellion. He was awarded with a knighthood for this action. During the period of 3 April 1858 to 15 February 1859, he was Chief Commissioner of Oudh. He was then the second Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab from 1859 to 1865, preceded by Sir John Lawrence and succeeded by Sir Donald McLeod.[4] He served as Lieutenant-Governor up to an advanced age.[2]

He was made a civil K.C.B. on 19 May 1859. On 20 February 1866 he was made a G.C.S.I.

Death

He died on 28 December 1887 in London of bronchitis, aged 79, and was interred in the vault of his family in County Londonderry on 3 January 1888.

Family

He married Frances Thomason, a sister of James Thomason; she died of smallpox at Allahabad in 1842.

Eponyms

References

Attribution

Further reading

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