William Ambrose Morehead
William Ambrose Morehead (17 October 1805 – 1 December 1863) was a British civil servant of the Indian civil service who acted as the Governor of Madras for two terms in 1860 and 1860–61.
William Ambrose Morehead | |
|---|---|
| Governor of Madras Presidency (acting) | |
| In office 8 June 1860 – 5 July 1860 | |
| Preceded by | Sir Charles Trevelyan |
| Succeeded by | Sir Henry George Ward |
| In office 4 August 1860 – 18 February 1861 | |
| Preceded by | Sir Henry George Ward |
| Succeeded by | Sir William Thomas Denison |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 October 1805[1] Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 1 December 1863 (age 58) Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Nationality | British |
Early life and education
Morehead was born in the United Kingdom in 1805 to Rev Robert Morehead.[2] Ambrose was also the brother of Charles Morehead who served as Governor of Bombay.[2] Morehead had his education in United Kingdom and qualified for the Indian civil service.
Career
Morehead arrived in Madras in 1825.[2] He attained renown for his actions against a rebellion caused by the murder of Macdonald of the Indian civil service in 1832.[2] Morehead was made a judge of the sadr court in 1846 and in 1850, was appointed to a committee which inquired into the activities of Lord Trevelyan's administration in Ceylon.[2]
Morehead served as a member of the Madras Legislative Council from 1857 to 1862.[2] During this time, he acted as the Governor of Madras for two terms, once in 1860 and another time, in 1860–61.[2] He also served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Madras from 1860 to 1862.[2][3]
Death
Morehead retired in October 1862 and died at Edinburgh on 1 December 1863.[2] He is buried in the south-west spur of Dean Cemetery. The grave is heavily damaged (2014). However, a huge red granite memorial stands to his memory in front of the grave, erected by "friends" around 1880 and sculpted by Stewart McGlashen. His brother Charles lies in a separate grave in the cemetery.[4]
Notes
- Boase, Frederic (1897). Modern English Biography: Containing Many Thousand Concise Memoirs of Persons who Have Died Since the Year 1850. Netherton and Worth. p. 961.
- Arbuthnot, Alexander John (1894). . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 39. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 2.
- "The Vice Chancellors". University of Madras.
- "Charles Morehead grave monument details at Dean 2e Cemetery, Edinburgh, Lothian,Scotland".
References
- Buckland, C. E. (1906). Dictionary of Indian Biography. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co. pp. 299.