After a controversial career as clerk to the Executive and Legislative Councils in
Perth, Henry Wakeford, whose motives and attitudes were often questioned, served as
A.E. Kennedy’s private secretary in Western Australia.
1 Wakeford was nominated by Kennedy in June of 1864 to be the new Acting Colonial Secretary
of the Vancouver Island colony during
William Alexander George Young’s absence.
2 Wakeford, married to a daughter of
Sir Henry Bishop, was considered
an ambitious and pretentious man who considered himself part of the Government House
‘circle’
.
3 Upon hearing of his appointment as Acting Colonial Secretary for
Vancouver Island, colonials in Perth questioned his loyalty and commitment to his position in Australia.
4
As expressed in several despatches and minutes by CO staff, the personal relationship
between
Kennedy and Wakeford was a cause for concern.
5 Some officials noted that the mens' personal history could have been indicative of
a friendship, which would call the professional legitimacy of Wakeford’s nomination
into question.
6 Minutes from CO staff suggest that it would have been a different matter had Wakeford
been from the colony.
7 Cardwell and his staff noted their suspicion of
Kennedy and Wakeford, and their involvement in
Young’s leave of absence, but nothing was ever concluded nor articulated beyond their private
notes.