Sir Edmund Yeamans Walcott Henderson [1] (1821-1896), soldier, administrator and police commissioner, was born on 19 April 1821 at Muddiford, Hampshire, England, son of Vice-Admiral George Henderson and his wife Frances Elizabeth, née Walcott-Sympson.
Educated at Bruton, Somerset, and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, he was commissioned in the Royal Engineers and in 1839-45 served in Canada. In 1848 at Halifax, Nova Scotia, he married Mary Murphy. . . .
. . . . In England Henderson gave evidence on penal systems and transportation to a royal commission, sold his commission as lieutenant-colonel and accepted appointment as director of convict prisons. When Sir Joshua Jebb died in 1863, Henderson became surveyor-general of prisons and inspector-general of military prisons. In 1869 he became chief commissioner of the metropolitan police which he expanded from 9000 to 13,000. He also instituted a criminal investigation department and a police orphanage. He was made CB in 1868 and KCB in 1878. On 8 February 1886 a demonstration of unemployed in Trafalgar Square led to serious riot and much damage to public property. The failure of police to control the crowds was blamed on Henderson and he resigned. Through the Home Secretary, Hugh Childers, he was given the highest rate of pension, £1000. He was also presented with a purse of £1000 and a portrait by Edwin Long, and London cabmen gave him a silver model of a hansom cab. Henderson had a good sense of humour, wide repute as a raconteur and competence in water-colour sketching. [2]
He died on 8 December 1896 in London, survived by several daughters. . . . more . . .
THE LATE SIR EDMUND HENDERSON. (1897, January 21). The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), p. 10. Retrieved September 16, 2020
See also:
Acadian heritage connections: Edmund is 23 degrees from Beyoncé Knowles, 21 degrees from Jean Béliveau, 17 degrees from Madonna Ciccone, 21 degrees from Rhéal Cormier, 20 degrees from Joseph Drouin, 23 degrees from Jack Kerouac, 17 degrees from Anne Murray, 20 degrees from Matt LeBlanc, 19 degrees from Roméo LeBlanc, 19 degrees from Azilda Marchand, 14 degrees from Marie Travers and 21 degrees from Clarence White on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
H > Henderson > Edmund Yeamans Walcott Henderson KCB
Categories: Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath | Western Australia, Police Officers