Charles Cowper KCMG (1807 - 1875)

Born 26 Apr 1807 in Drypool St Andrew, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Eliza (Sutton) Cowper — married 1831 in Parramatta, New South Wales (Australia)

Descendants

Died 19 Oct 1875 at age 68 in Kensington, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

Charles Cowper KCMG is Notable.

Sir Charles Cowper KCMG was premier of New South Wales on five occasions between 1856 to 1870. His governments had a fairly coherent Liberal tendency, a trend which continued with the governments of Henry Parkes and later developed into the Free Trade Party.

Sir Charles Cowper

Charles Cowper was born on 26th April 1807 at Drypool St Andrew (near Hull), Yorkshire, England. He was the third son of William Cowper and Hannah Horner. In 1809 Charles was brought to New South Wales by his father, who had been appointed assistant chaplain. Educated privately, he entered the commissariat department at eighteen and in 1826 was appointed secretary to the Church and Schools Land Corporation.^[1]

As an official he was granted 1,280 acres (518 ha) in the County of Argyle in 1827 and a further 1,280 acres (518 ha) in 1830. By 1852 he had acquired by grant or purchase large estates in Argyle and town allotments in Goulburn; as a tenant of the Crown he held nearly 20,000 acres (8,100 ha) in Argyle and 47,000 acres (19,020 ha) in the Lachlan pastoral district. In addition he owned Wivenhoe, 900 acres (364 ha) at Camden Park and had interests in Sydney real estate.^[1]

In 1831 he married Eliza Sutton, second daughter of Daniel Sutton of Wivenhoe, near Colchester, Essex. The wedding was consecrated in St John's Church of England (now Anglican Cathedral), Parramatta, New South Wales.^[2] Two years later the Church and Schools Land Corporation was dissolved and he declined another official post. Cowper then farmed in Argyle, living as a country gentleman and interesting himself in sheep breeding. He was appointed a justice of the peace in 1839.^[1]

In 1843 at the first elections under the new constitution Cowper stood for the County of Camden, announcing that his political principles were moderate and that he was a member of the Church of England. Whilst defeated there, he was elected to represent the County of Cumberland. He supported church schools so strongly that he became known as the 'Member for the Church of England'. In November 1849 he was elected to the board of the newly-formed Sydney Tramway and Railroad Co., became its chairman and was appointed manager. He resigned from the Legislative Council. Seeing the need for the government to take over ownership of the railways, he returned to politics to plead the cause in the Council. He remained in politics, changing between the Assembly and Council, and was Premier of New South Wales on five occasions. He was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1869. He resigned from parliament finally in 1870 when appointed Agent General for New South Wales in London, England.^[1]

In recognition of his parliamentary work and now his diplomatic mission, Cowper was created Knight Comander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1871.^[1]

He passed away, aged 68 years, on 19th October 1875 at Kensington, Middlesex, England,^[3] and buried in Highgate Cemetery.^[4] He was survived by his wife, two daughters and son.

The federal Division of Cowper in New South Wales was created in 1900 and named after Sir Charles Cowper.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Ward, John M. 'Cowper, Sir Charles (1807–1875)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1969; accessed online 7 Jan 2019
2. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index #396/1831 V1831396 150; Name: COWPER, CHARLES & SUTTON, ELIZA; District: CB, Church of England Parramatta St. John's
3. ↑ "England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2J22-Y69 : 31 December 2014), Charles Cowper, 1875; from "England & Wales Deaths, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Death, Kensington, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
4. ↑ Highgate Cemetery - Who is Buried Here

See also:

• Charles Cowper; accessed 7 Jan 2019.