Major-General Sir Harry St. George Ord GCMG,
CB,
RE, was born on 4 August 1819 in
North Cray,
Kent,
England. He was the son of
Henry Gough Ord and grandson of Craven Ord (1756-1832) of Greenstead Hall,
Essex, a prominent antiquarian.
Education and Career
Sir Harry Ord in his official attire as the Governor of Western Australia
Harry Ord was educated at the
Royal Military Academy at
Woolwich, (1835 - 1837). He served in the
Royal Engineers, (1837 - 1856), principally in the
West Indies,
West Africa, and the
Anglo-French expedition to the
Baltic, (1854). He held many important colonial posts, such as:
Governor of Straits Settlements
The official picture of Sir Harry Ord as the Governor of Straits Settlement
Sir Harry Ord, was the first
Colonial Office appointed as the
Governor of the Straits Settlements, was at first given no instructions regarding the Colony's relations with the
Malay States. He was unpopular in the
Straits Settlements, but was an ambitious and energetic man, who was ready to do what he could to restore order and promote trade in the Peninsula. Conditions in
Malaya at that time were extremely unsettled. The quarrels of the
Malays were intensified by feuds between competing groups of Chinese miners, and the links of the Chinese with the
British settlements threatened to involve these too in the trouble. After some experience of negotiating with
Malays and
Siamese, Ord worked out a policy under which he proposed to share the supervision of the Peninsula between
Britain and
Siam. This policy was disapproved by the
Colonial office, and Sir Harry Ord was directed to abstain from all interference in the affairs of the
Malay States.
Life
He married
Julia Graham of
Exmouth daughter of Admiral
James Carpenterin in 1846 by whom he had three sons. Sir Harry Ord died on 20 August 1885 from heart attack.
