Matthew Nathan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lieutenant-Colonel The Right Honourable Sir Matthew Nathan GCMG PC (Ire)
20th Governor of the Gold Coast
In office 17 December 1900 – 9 February 1904
Monarch	Victoria
Preceded by	Frederick Mitchell Hodgson
Succeeded by	John Pickersgill Rodger
13th Governor of Hong Kong
In office 29 July 1904 – 29 July 1907
Monarch	Edward VII
Colonial Secretary	Sir Francis Henry May
Preceded by	Sir Henry Arthur Blake
Succeeded by	Sir Frederick Lugard
7th Governor of Natal
In office 2 September 1907 – 23 December 1909
Monarch	Edward VII
Preceded by	Sir Henry Edward McCallum
Succeeded by	Paul Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen
Under-Secretary for Ireland
In office 12 October 1914 – 3 May 1916
Monarch	George V
Preceded by	James Dougherty
Succeeded by	Robert Chalmers
13th Governor of Queensland
In office 3 December 1920 – 17 September 1925
Preceded by	Sir Hamilton Goold-Adams
Succeeded by	Sir John Goodwin
Personal details
Born	(1862-01-03)3 January 1862 Paddington, London, England
Died	18 April 1939(1939-04-18) (aged 77) West Coker, Somerset, England
Resting place	Willesden Jewish Cemetery, England
Alma mater	Royal Military Academy, Woolwich
Profession	Soldier, colonial administrator
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	彌敦
Simplified Chinese	弥敦
Transcriptions Yue: Cantonese Jyutping nei4 deon1

Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Matthew Nathan (born January 3, 1862 – died April 18, 1939) was an important British soldier and government official. He worked in many different parts of the British Empire. He served as the Governor of places like Sierra Leone, Gold Coast, Hong Kong, Natal, and Queensland. He also held a key role as the Under-Secretary for Ireland from 1914 to 1916.

Early Life and Military Career

Matthew Nathan was born in Paddington, London, England. He came from a Jewish family. His father was a businessman named Jonah Nathan. Matthew had two brothers who also became important figures: Sir Frederick Nathan, a military officer, and Sir Nathaniel Nathan, a judge.

Matthew went to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. This is a famous school for training army officers. He did very well there, even winning a special award called the Pollock Medal in 1880. After his training, he joined the Royal Engineers in 1880.

He continued his military education at the School of Military Engineering in Chatham until 1884. Matthew Nathan took part in military trips to Sudan (1884–1885) and Lushai, India (1889–1894). He was promoted to captain in 1889 and later to major in 1898.

A Career in the Colonies

Sir Matthew Nathan spent many years working as a governor in different British colonies. This meant he was in charge of running these territories.

He first worked as the acting governor of Sierra Leone from 1899 to 1900. Later that year, he became the Governor of the Gold Coast, which is now Ghana. He stayed there until 1903. While in the Gold Coast, he even brought in a special steam-powered car for his travels! In 1902, he was given a special honor, becoming a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG).

In 1903, Nathan was appointed Governor of Hong Kong. He served in this role until 1907. Because he was an engineer, he was very good at planning cities. He helped create a big road in a marshy area of the Kowloon Peninsula. People joked about it at first, calling it "Nathan's Folly." But this road became a very busy shopping street and is now famously known as Nathan Road. The building of the Kowloon-Canton Railway also began during his time as governor.

After Hong Kong, Nathan became the Governor of Natal (now part of South Africa) from 1907 to 1909. In 1907, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He returned to England in 1909 and worked for the General Post Office and then as chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue.

Working in Ireland

In late 1914, Sir Matthew Nathan was appointed Under-Secretary for Ireland. This was just after World War I started. His boss, the Chief Secretary, spent a lot of time in London. This meant Nathan was largely in charge of running things in Ireland.

His job was to help prepare Ireland for self-government. He also focused on getting people to join the army. He received reports about groups that wanted Ireland to be independent. Nathan was worried about people in government jobs who supported independence. He tried to have them moved to England. He also used a law called the Defence of the Realm Act 1914 to stop newspapers he thought were causing trouble. He generally tried to avoid actions that might lead to violence.

In April 1916, Nathan learned that a German boat carrying weapons had been stopped off the coast of Ireland. He also heard that a man, later identified as Sir Roger Casement, had been arrested.

A planned gathering by the Irish Volunteers for Easter Sunday was called off. Nathan thought a rebellion had been avoided. However, on Easter Monday, while he was in his office at Dublin Castle, the Easter Rising began. Dublin Castle itself was attacked. A guard was killed during the attack. The castle gates were closed, and Nathan was trapped inside until soldiers arrived later that day. He stayed in the castle, keeping the government in London updated on the situation.

The Rising ended on April 30. Nathan resigned from his position on May 3. A special investigation looked into the events leading up to the Rising.

Later Life and Achievements

After leaving his role in Ireland, Nathan became the secretary to the Ministry of Pensions until 1919. In 1920, he was appointed Governor of Queensland in Australia. He served there until 1925. This was his last job in the colonial service. While in Queensland, he encouraged many British people to move there.

In 1922, he helped start the Great Barrier Reef Committee, which works to protect the famous coral reef. He also served as the head of the University of Queensland from 1922 to 1925. The university gave him an honorary law degree in 1925.

After his time as Governor ended, Nathan retired to Somerset, England. He passed away in the village of West Coker in 1939. He was buried in the Willesden Jewish Cemetery in London.

Honors and Legacy

Sir Matthew Nathan received several important honors during his life:

• Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, 1902
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George, 1908

Several places around the world are named after him:

• Nathan Road in the Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong, is a major shopping street.
• In Australia, the town of Nathan and Nathan Heights in Brisbane are named after him. There's also Nathan Street in Canberra.
• In South Africa, Nathan House at Maritzburg College and a street in Scottburgh are named in his honor.

See also

• History of Hong Kong