Taylor, Sir Henry
b. 1800-10-18
d. 1886-03-27
The son of a gentleman farmer, Henry Taylor visited Canada as a midshipman during the final year of the War of 1812.1 Educated at home, he moved to London in 1823 and began to write a series of essays, poems, and plays, which led to friendships with several literary figures.2 In 1824 he obtained the position of assistant clerk at the Colonial Office and was promoted the following year to senior clerk in charge of the West Indian Department, a post he held until his retirement in 1872.3 His publication of The Statesman in 1836, which he dedicated to James Stephen, newly appointed permanent under-secretary, provides a portrait of the business and practice of Colonial Office.4 In 1869 he was knighted for his service.5
  • 1. Mark Reger, Taylor, Sir Henry (1800-1886), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
  • 2. Ibid.
  • 3. Ibid.
  • 4. Ibid.; Henry Taylor, The Statesman, (London: Longman, 1836).
  • 5. Mark Reger, Taylor, Sir Henry (1800-1886), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
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Stephen, Sir James

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The Colonial Despatches Team. Taylor, Sir Henry. The Colonial Despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871, Edition 2.0, ed. The Colonial Despatches Team. Victoria, B.C.: University of Victoria. https://bcgenesis.uvic.ca/taylor_he.html.

Last modified: 2020-03-30 13:22:16 -0700 (Mon, 30 Mar 2020) (SVN revision: 4193)