Donald Mackenzie Smeaton CSI (9 September 1848 – 19 April 1910)[1][2] was a Scottish colonial administrator in India and Burma and politician who was the Liberal MP for Stirlingshire from January 1906 until January 1910.[1]
Life edit
Born the son of David James Smeaton,[2] Donald was educated at the Abbey Park Institution, St. Andrew's, a boarding school run by his father, at which not less than 80 young men were boarded and educated.[3] He then attended the University of St Andrews, where he graduated with an M.A. degree.[4] Joining the Indian Civil Service in 1865 via open competition, he arrived in India in 1867, Smeaton held minor appointments in the North-Western Provinces.[4]
On 5 September 1873, Smeaton married Annette Louisa Lushington, daughter of Sir Henry Lushington (1826-1898),[5] 4th Bt. and Elizabeth Cheape.[2]
In 1879, he went to Burma, where he served as Chief Secretary in 1887, officiated as Chief Commissioner in 1892 and 1896 and was a member of the Legislative Council of Burma from 1898 and Burma member on the Central Legislative Council from 1898–9 until 1901–2.[4] He had hoped to succeed Sir Frederick Fryer as Lieutenant-Governor of Burma; but Lord Curzon deliberately asked Fryer to stay another year, so that Smeaton, who reached his mandatory retirement age during the interval, could not succeed Fryer. Smeaton engaged in a letter-writing campaign against Fryer and Curzon, which caused much embarrassment.[6]
He was made Companion of the Order of the Star of India in 1895, was awarded the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal in 1900 and retired in 1902.[4] Smeaton published editions of the North-Western Provinces Revenue Act, The Currency of India and The Karens of Burma.[4]
Death edit
He died in April 1910 aged 61, three months after retiring from Parliament.[citation needed]
References edit
- ^ a b "The House of Commons Constituencies Beginning with 'S'". Leighrayment.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b c Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003.
- ^ Westwood's Parochial Directory for the Counties of Fife and Kinross, containing the names and addresses of Gentry, and of Persons in Business, &c. (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1862) http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Extras/St_A_education_1861.html
- ^ a b c d e Dictionary of Indian Biography (1906), Haskell House Publishers, New York.
- ^ Lushington baronets
- ^ Pryor, Katherine. "Smeaton, Donald Mackenzie". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/36124. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)