William MacGregor GCMG CB PC (1846 - 1919)

Born 20 Oct 1846 in Hillockhead, Towie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Thomson) MacGregor — married 4 Oct 1868 in Towie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Husband of Mary Jane (Cocks) MacGregor — married 3 Nov 1883 in Navuloa, Fiji

Descendants

Died 3 Jul 1919 at age 72 in Chapel-on-Leader, Earlston, Berwickshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Preceded by Sir Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford, GCSI GCMG GCIE GBE PC

11th Governor of Queensland 2nd December 1909 to 16th July 1914

Succeeded by Major Sir Hamilton John Goold-Adams GCMG CB

Biography

William MacGregor GCMG CB PC is Notable.

Sir William MacGregor GCMG CB PC AM MD CM FRSGS was a medical practioner as well as a lieutenant-governor of British New Guinea, governor of Nigeria, governor of Newfoundland and governor of Queensland. Whilst embitterments and frustrations of his personal and official life left him unsatisfied, his achievements were considerable, and his humanitarian concern for people and his scientific approach to problems remain of note.

Sir William MacGregor

William MacGregor was born on 20th October 1846 at Hillockhead, Towie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the eldest son of John MacGregor, a crofter, and his wife Agnes Smith, daughter of William Smith of Pitprone. Encouraged by his schoolmaster and the local doctor who recognised MacGregor's ability, he entered Aberdeen Grammar School in April 1866 and enrolled at the University of Aberdeen in October 1867. Initially intending to enter the church, he began arts but turned to medicine when his future wife, Mary, became pregnant.^[1]
Mary Thomson and William were married on 4th October 1868 at Towie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland,^[2]
and their son was born the following January.^[1]
MacGregor studied at Anderson's Medical College (LFPS) and the Universities of Aberdeen (MB) and of Edinburgh (LRCP) and was registered on 9th May 1872, and obtained his MD in 1874.^[1]
In 1873 MacGregor became assistant medical officer at the Seychelles. The following year he was appointed resident at the hospital and superintendent of the lunatic asylum at Mauritius. Their daughter was born on Curieuse Island in 1874.^[1]
The year 1875 saw him appointed chief medical officer of Fiji, where he had to grapple with a terrible epidemic of measles, which resulted in the death of 50,000 natives. Within two years, he was appointed receiver-general. A variety of other offices followed, including the colonial secretaryship. Mary died of dysentery on 9th February 1877. MacGregor later became estranged from both his children of this marriage. He was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1881.^[1]

On November 3,1883 at Navuloa, Fiji, the Wesleyan minister married him to Mary Jane Cocks, daughter of Captain R Cocks, harbourmaster in Suva.^[1]They had two daughters whilst stationed in Fiji, Alpina Viti (named after the island) and Mary.

In 1884 the ship Syria, with 'coolies' for Fiji, ran ashore about 25 kilometres from Suva. MacGregor organised a relief expedition and personally saved several lives; his report made no mention of his own deeds, but they could not remain hidden, and he was awarded both the Albert Medal, and the Clarke gold medal of the Royal Humane Society of Australasia for saving life at sea.

MacGregor's experience with indigenous peoples led to his being appointed administrator of British New Guinea in 1888. Here he had to deal with a warlike people separated in many tribes, and his great problem was to get them to live together in reasonable amity. By tact and perseverance MacGregor eventually brought about a state of law and order.

He was created Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1889. He was further honoured in 1897 with appointment as Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).

From 1899 to 1904 he was governor of Lagos Colony, Nigeria, where he instituted a campaign against the prevalent malaria, draining the swamps and destroying as far as possible the mosquitoes which were responsible for the spread of the disease.

He was transferred in 1904 to Newfoundland where he was governor for five years. Here again his medical knowledge was most useful in the combating of tuberculosis which was then prevalent in Newfoundland. His knighthood was upgraded to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in 1907.^[1]
On 2nd December 1909 MacGregor was appointed governor of Queensland. Here, he assisted in the inauguration of the University of Queensland, and agreed to the handing over of his official residence, (Old) Government House, George Street, Brisbane to be its first home. One of his first acts as governor was to attend the dedication ceremony on 10th December 1909. He also became the first chancellor and took great pride in the early development of the university. MacGregor was also president of the Royal Geographical Society of Queensland.

In 1914 MacGregor retired, and with his wife, went to live on their estate Chapel-on-Leader, Berwickshire, Scotland. He was made a Privy Councillor. During The Great War, 1914-19, he was able to do a certain amount of war work, and also lectured on his experience of German rule in the Pacific.^[1]
His elder daughter of the second marriage, Alpina, Lady Paget, who had married Admiral Sir Alfred Paget, died in 1918. Aged 72 years, Sir William MacGregor GCMG CB PC died the 3rd of July 1919 at Berwickshire, after an operation for intestinal adhesions and gall-stones.^[3][4][5]
He was buried beside his parents in the churchyard of Towie, the village where he was born.Find A Grave: Memorial #141714865, citing Towie Churchyard, Towie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland ; Maintained by julia&keld (contributor 46812479). His wife survived him by less than three months.^[1]
Their daughter, Lady Viti Paget had died the previous year.

Honours

William MacGregor was very rightly accorded many honours during his lifetime, including:

• Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG), 1881
• Albert Medal, 1884
• Clarke gold medal of the Royal Humane Society of Australasia, 1884
• Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG), 1889
• Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB), 1897
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG), 1907
• Privy Counsellor
• honorary degree of Doctor of Science (DSc) at Cambridge
• honorary degrees of Doctor of Laws (LLD) at Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and Queensland

Two Australian suburbs are named after MacGregor-812: MacGregor, Brisbane, and Macgregor, Canberra.^[1]

Trove Clippings

19th November 1891^[6]
8th May 1897^[7]
11th April 1907^[8]
29th November 1912^[9]
6 June 1914^[10]
30 October 1914^[11]
12 July 1919^[12]
9th October 1952^[13]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9} adb.anu.edu.au Joyce, R B.; 'MacGregor, Sir William (1846–1919)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1974; accessed online 25 Feb 2020
2. ↑ Scotland'sPeople Marriage Index #245/3 1868
3. ↑ Scotland's People Death Index: Name: MacGregor, William; Age: 71; Year: 1919; Ref: #168/2 334
4. ↑ "England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957" William MacGregor, 27 Jan 1920; citing Probate, Roxburghshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, Great Britain.; FHL microfilm familysearch.org
5. ↑ findagrave.com
6. ↑ Sir William MacGregor. (1891, November 19). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 6 nla.gov.au
7. ↑ Sir. William MacGregor (1897, May 8). National Advocate (Bathurst, NSW : 1889 - 1954), p. 2 nla.gov.au
8. ↑ PROCLAMATION (1907, April 11). Territory of Papua Government Gazette (Papua New Guinea : 1906 - 1942), p. 29 nla.gov.au
9. ↑ Sir William MacGregor. (1912, November 29). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 6 nla.gov.au
10. ↑ Sir William MacGregor. (1914, June 6). The Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), p. 20 nla.gov.au
11. ↑ Sir William MacGregor. (1914, October 30). Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser (Qld. : 1903 - 1922), p. 4 nla.gov.au
12. ↑ SIR WILLIAM MACGREGOR. (1919, July 12). Western Star and Roma Advertiser (Qld. : 1875 - 1948), p. 5 nla.gov.au
13. ↑ AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY. (1952, October 9). Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (National : 1901 - 1973), p. 3994 nla.gov.au

See also

• Wikipedia:_William_MacGregor; accessed 26 Jun 2018
  
• Australian Dictionary of Biography: William MacGregor gutenberg.net.au
  
• electricscotland.com