Dominick Daly | |
|---|---|
 Sir Dominick Daly, around 1861 | |
| Provincial Secretary of Lower Canada | |
| In office 1827 – 31 December 1843 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Governors General |
|
| Lieutenant Governor | Sir Francis Nathaniel Burton (1827) |
| Preceded by | Thomas Amyot (absentee) |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Executive Council of Lower Canada | |
| In office 2 June 1838 – 10 February 1841 | |
| Governors General |
|
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Special Council of Lower Canada | |
| In office 16 April 1840 – 10 February 1841 | |
| Governor General | Lord Sydenham |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for Megantick | |
| In office 1841 – 1849 (three elections) | |
| Preceded by | None; new position |
| Succeeded by | Dunbar Ross |
| Member of the Executive Council of the Province of Canada | |
| In office 10 February 1841 – 10 March 1848 | |
| Governors General |
|
| Provincial Secretary of the Province of Canada | |
| In office 1 January, 1844 – 10 March, 1848 | |
| Preceded by | None; new position |
| Succeeded by | Robert Baldwin Sullivan |
| Lieutenant Governor of Tobago | |
| In office 1852–1854 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Yates (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Henry Yates (acting) |
| 15th Governor of Prince Edward Island | |
| In office 11 July 1854 – 25 May 1859 | |
| Preceded by | Alexander Bannerman |
| Succeeded by | Charles Young (Administrator) |
| 7th Governor of South Australia | |
| In office 4 March 1862 – 19 February 1868 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Graves MacDonnell |
| Succeeded by | Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 August 1798 Ardfry, County Galway, Ireland |
| Died | 19 February 1868 (aged 69) Adelaide, Colony of South Australia |
| Resting place | West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide |
| Spouse | Caroline Maria Gore |
| Children | 3 sons and 2 daughters, including Sir Malachy Bowes Daly and Caroline Louisa Daly |
| Education | St Mary's College, Oscott |
| Occupation | Public servant; colonial administrator |
| Awards | Knight Bachelor, 1856 |
| Nickname | The Perpetual Secretary |
Sir Dominick Daly (11 August 1798 – 19 February 1868) was a British colonial public servant and administrator during the 19th century, who held positions in British North America, Tobago and South Australia.
Born in Ireland to a well-connected family, he obtained the position of private secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Lower Canada in 1822. He eventually became the provincial secretary of Lower Canada, a member of the Special Council which governed Lower Canada following the Lower Canada Rebellion, and a member of the Legislative Assembly and provincial secretary of the Province of Canada. For a brief time in 1843, he was the sole member of the Executive Council of the Province of Canada. He then became part of a three-man council, advising the Governor General, Sir Charles Metcalfe. His decision to remain in office angered the Reform members of the Assembly, leading to him fighting a duel with one Reform member. He was dismissed from office when the Reformers were returned to power under Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine and Robert Baldwin in 1848.
After losing office in Canada in 1848, Daly served on a royal commission in England concerning the New Forest and Waltham Forest. He then served as the Governor of Tobago from 1851 to 1852, followed by appointment as Governor of Prince Edward Island from 1854 to 1859. In 1862 he was appointed Governor of South Australia, an office he held until his sudden death on 19 February 1868 in Adelaide, South Australia.
Daly combined an aptitude for public affairs and diligence in his work, along with personal charm and affability. In Canada, he acquired the nickname of "the perpetual secretary", in light of his holding various administrative offices for twenty-five years.