Anthony Musgrave GCMG (1828 - 1888)

Born 31 Aug 1828 in Saint John's, Saint John, Antigua and Barbuda

Husband of Christiana Elizabeth (Byam) Musgrave — married 3 Aug 1854 in Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda

Husband of Jeanie Lucinda (Field) Musgrave — married 20 Jun 1870 in San Francisco, California, United States of America

Descendants

Died 9 Oct 1888 at age 60 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

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Preceded by
Sir James Fergusson GSCI PC

9th Governor of South Australia
9 Jun 1873 to 29 Jan 1877

Succeeded by
Lieutenant General Sir William Francis Drummond Jervois GCMG CB

Preceded by
Sir Arthur Edward Kennedy GCMG CB

6th Governor of Queensland
6 Nov 1883 to 9 Nov 1888

Succeeded by
Field Marshal Sir Henry Norman GCB GCMG CIE

Biography

Anthony Musgrave GCMG is Notable.

Anthony Musgrave GCMG is/was a significant British Columbian.

Sir Anthony Musgrave GCMG was a colonial administrator and governor.

Anthony Musgrave GCMG was born on August 31, 1828 in Saint John's, Saint John, Antigua and Barbuda. He was the third of eleven children of Dr. Anthony Musgrave (~1793 - 1852) and Mary Harris (Sheriff) Musgrave (1801 - 1856).

His siblings were...

1. William Musgrave (1821 - 1840)
2. Burnthorn Musgrave (1823 - 1894)
3. Mary (Musgrave) Atkinson (1824 - )
4. Frances (Musgrave) Dodgson (1839 - 1904)
5. Sarah (Musgrave) Trutch (1842 - 1894)

After an education in Antigua and Great Britain, he was appointed private secretary to Robert James Mackintosh, governor-in-chief of the Leeward Islands in 1854.

Anthony married Christiana Elizabeth Byam (<1833 - 1859) on August 3, 1854 in Antigua. She was the daughter of the Honourable Sir William Byam of Antigua. Together they had 2 sons, including William Anthony Byam Musgrave (1856 - ). Christiana passed away in 1859.

On his way to take up his British Columbia post, Musgrave married his second wife, Jeanie Lucinda Field who was the daughter of David Dudley Field. They married on June 20, 1870 at San Francisco, United States of America, as was reported in the colonist newspaper on 21 June 1870:

Married at San Francisco, Calfornia, Jun 20, 1870, Gov Anthony Musgrave to Miss Jennie Lucinda, Daughter of David Dudley Field, of New York, and nc/o Dudley Field. Several officers of Her/His Majesty's Ship Sparrowhawk were present at the ceremony. The happy couple are expected here about Jul 4, when they are certain to meet with a hearty welcome. Jul 3, Arrival of Gov and Mrs Musgrave.^[1]

Their children were...

1. Joyce Harriet Musgrave (1871 - 1874)
2. Lieutenant Dudley Field Musgrave RN (1873 - 1895)
3. BRIG GEN Arthur David Musgrave DSO (1874 - 1931)
4. Major Herbert Musgrave (1875 - 1918).

Their only daughter, Joyce, born in British Columbia, died in South Australia in 1874.

He was recognised for his "capacity and zeal", and quickly promoted, administering, in turn, the British West Indies territories of Nevis and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. After ten years of colonial service in the Caribbean, Musgrave was appointed governor of Newfoundland in 1864. Musgrave took up new responsibilities in the western-most British colony as colonial governor of British Columbia in 1869. In less than two years, British Columbia joined Canada as its sixth province. He followed this success with a brief stint as governor of the South African colony of Natal before taking up a posting to South Australia. Musgrave next returned to the Caribbean as governor of Jamaica. He would govern the colony for the next six years.

Musgrave's last appointment was back in Australia, as governor of the colony of Queensland, where he arrived on 7th November 1883 in the Ranelagh. During this post, he was faced with responding to the action of the colony's premier in "annexing" south-eastern New Guinea as part of Queensland — an action repudiated by the colonial office but which stopped Germany from advancing their territories closer to the Australian mainland.

Sir Anthony died at his desk, from obstruction to his bowel, on 9th October 1888. He was buried in Toowong Cemetery, Brisbane, Queensland, next to Queensland's second governor, Sir Samuel Blackall. His funeral was held on 10th October 1888 in St John's Cathedral, Brisbane.^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ Leona Taylor and Dorothy Mindenhall, “Index of Historical Victoria Newspapers,” Victoria’s Victoria, http://www.victoriasvictoria.ca/, 2007. Retrieved 4 Apr 2021. Paper: Colonist. Date of publication: 21 June 1870. Article reference: 56237. Database search: http://www.web.uvic.ca/
2. ↑ Find A Grave Memorial# 30191488: Sir Anthony Musgrave

Other Sources:

• Kent M. Haworth, “MUSGRAVE, Sir ANTHONY,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 11, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed July 8, 2016, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/musgrave_anthony_11E.html.
• Dictionary of National Biography: Musgrave, Anthony
• Wikipedia: Anthony Musgrave
• ThePeerage.com: Sir Anthony Musgrave