John Douglas (colonial administrator)

Sir John Douglas
KCMG
Sir John Douglas KCMG
Acting Governor of British Ceylon
	In office; 10 July 1883 – 3 December 1883
Monarch	Queen Victoria
Preceded by	James Robert Longden
Succeeded by	Arthur Hamilton-Gordon
3rd Colonial Secretary of Straits Settlements
	In office; 17 February 1876 – 17 August 1878
Monarch	Queen Victoria
Governor	Sir William Jervois; William C. F. Robinson
Preceded by	Charles J. Irving (Acting)
Succeeded by	Sir Cecil Clementi Smith
16th Accountant General and Controller of Revenue
	In office; 10 March 1870 – 16 June 1876
Preceded by	Robert John Callander
Succeeded by	C. A. D. Barclay
Personal details
Born	5 December 1836; Limerick, Ireland
Died	22 August 1885 (aged 48); British Ceylon
Resting place	St Paul's Church, Kandy, British Ceylon
Spouse	Alice Anne Claughton
Parents	Lt Gen Sir James Dawes Douglas (father); Marianne Bullock (mother);

Sir John Douglas KCMG (5 December 1836 – 22 August 1885) was the Irish-born son of Lt Gen Sir James Dawes Douglas (1795–1862) and Marianne Bullock.^[1]

Career

Douglas was in the Civil Service of Mauritius 1859–1869 when he transferred to Ceylon where he was Auditor-General between 1869 and 1876. He became Colonial Secretary of the Straits Settlements on 17 February 1876^[2] – 17 August 1878^[3] before returning to Ceylon as Lieut.-Governor and Colonial Secretary, 1878–1880. He was appointed Acting Governor, 10 July 1883 – 3 December 1883.^[4]

Honours

Douglas was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the 1883 Birthday Honours.^[5]

Family

Douglas had married, in 1871, Alice Anne, daughter of Right Rev. Piers Calveley Claughton (d. 1884), Bishop of Colombo, Ceylon. They had five children.^[6]

Death

Sir John Douglas died in Ceylon on 23 August 1885 and was buried at St Paul's Church, Kandy.^[6]

References

^ Burke's landed gentry of Great Britain
^ "Friday, 18th February". The Straits Times. 19 February 1876. p. 4.
^ "Untitled". The Straits Times. 17 August 1878. p. 3.
^ Edward Walford. The county families of the United Kingdom
^ "Untitled". The Straits Times. 8 June 1883. p. 2.
^ ^a ^b Morning Post, 26 August 1885, p. 5.

Government offices
Preceded by Charles J. Irving (Acting)	3rd Colonial Secretary of Straits Settlements 1876–1878	Succeeded by Sir Cecil Clementi Smith
Preceded by James Robert Longden	Governor of British Ceylon 1883	Succeeded by Arthur Hamilton-Gordon
Legal offices
Preceded by R. J. Callander	Accountant General and Controller of Revenue 1870–1876	Succeeded by C. A. D. Barclay

[1] Burke's landed gentry of Great Britain

[2] "Friday, 18th February". The Straits Times. 19 February 1876. p. 4.

[3] "Untitled". The Straits Times. 17 August 1878. p. 3.

[4] Edward Walford. The county families of the United Kingdom

[5] "Untitled". The Straits Times. 8 June 1883. p. 2.

[MPost-6] Morning Post, 26 August 1885, p. 5.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

v t e ←Governors of British Ceylon
Military Governors	Agnew Stuart Doyle Bonnevaux de Meuron Andrews*
Governors	North Maitland Wilson Brownrigg Barnes Paget Campbell Barnes Wilson Wilmot-Horton Stewart-Mackenzie Campbell Emerson Tennent Torrington MacCarthy Anderson MacCarthy Ward Lockyer Wilkinson MacCarthy O'Brien Robinson Robinson Irving Gregory Longden Douglas Hamilton-Gordon Havelock Walker Ridgeway im Thurn Blake Clifford McCallum Stubbs Chalmers Stubbs Anderson Stubbs Manning Clementi Alexander Clifford Fletcher Stanley Bourdillon Thomson Tyrrell Stubbs Wedderburn Caldecott Moore**
Acting, Resident and Superintendent, became Governor-General of Ceylon*

v t e Chief Secretary of Ceylon
Colonial Secretary	Cleghorn Boyd Arbuthnot Rodney Anstruther Tennent MacCarthy Gibson Irving Birch Douglas Smith Walker im Thurn Ashmore Clifford Booth Stubbs Clementi Murchison Fletcher Bourdillon
Chief Secretary	Bourdillon Tyrrell Wedderburn Wodeman Drayton

Resident Councillors, Colonial Secretaries & Chief Secretaries of Singapore (1826 – 1959) (with italics * for the Acting)
Resident Councillors of Singapore (1826 – 1867)	John Prince Kenneth Murchison Samuel George Bonham Thomas Church Henry Somerset MacKenzie Ronald MacPherson
Colonial Secretaries of Straits Settlements (1867 – 1942)	Ronald MacPherson James W. W. Birch Thomas Braddell * William Willans * Charles John Irving * John Douglas Cecil Clementi Smith Sir John Frederick Dickson Arthur Philip Talbot * William Edward Maxwell James Alexander Swettenham Walter Egerton * Charles Walter Sneyd-Kynnersley * Sir William Thomas Taylor Frederick George Penney Edward Lewis Brockman * Sir Arthur Henderson Young Edward Lewis Brockman Richard James Wilkinson Sir Frederick Seton James George Hemmant * Edward Shaw Hose Sir Hayes Marriott George Hemmant * Sir John Scott Sir Andrew Caldecott Sir Alexander Sym Small Stanley Wilson Jones Hugh Fraser *
Colonial Secretaries of Singapore (1946 – 1955)	Sir Patrick McKerron J D M Smith * Wilfred Lawson Blythe William Allmond Codrington Goode
Chief Secretaries of Singapore (1955 – 1959)	Sir William Allmond Codrington Goode Edgeworth Beresford David