Sir Thomas Brisbane | |
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![]() Painting of Thomas Brisbane by F. Schenck (1850) | |
6th Governor of New South Wales | |
In office 1 December 1821 – 1 December 1825 | |
Monarch | George IV |
Preceded by | Lachlan Macquarie |
Succeeded by | Ralph Darling |
Personal details | |
Born | Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland | 23 July 1773
Died | 27 January 1860 Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland | (aged 86)
Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Branch/service | British Army |
Rank | Major General |
Battles/wars | Peninsular War War of 1812 |
Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order Army Gold Cross |
Major General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1st Baronet, GCB, GCH, FRS, FRSE (23 July 1773 – 27 January 1860), was a British Army officer, administrator, and astronomer. Upon the recommendation of the Duke of Wellington, with whom he had served, he was appointed governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825.
A keen astronomer, he built the colony's second observatory and encouraged scientific and agricultural training. Rivals besmirched his reputation and the British Secretary of State for the Colonies, Lord Bathurst, recalled Brisbane and his colonial secretary Frederick Goulburn. Brisbane, a new convict settlement, was named in his honour and is now the 3rd largest city in Australia.