George Alexander William Leith
Encyclopedia
Major General
Sir George Alexander William Leith, the second Baronet, (1775), K.C.B. O.B was the first Lieutenant-Governor of Prince of Wales' Island
(Penang Island) taking the reins over from George Caunter
, a Magistrate who was Acting Superintendent following the resignation and departure of the last governor, Superintendent, Major Forbes Ross MacDonald. He served in that position from his arrival in 1800 until 1803.
He was appointed an Ensign in the 88th Foot in 1779 and served in Jamaica. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1780. He returned to England in November 1781 and moved to the 2nd Battalion of the Royals. He transferred to the 71st Foot in Madras in 1786. In 1789 he was appointed Brigade-Major and served under Major-General Sir William Meadows and Governor of India, Lord Cornwallis
. He was at the sieges of Bangalore and Sevendroog, the Storming of Tippoo's lines and the surrender of Seringapatam. He was promoted to Captain-Lieutenant 74th Foot on November 1, 1792 and then to Captain in the 73rd on March 7, 1795.
He served as aide-de-camp
to the Governor-General
in 1793 and as Brigade Major
to the King's troops in Bengal
in 1794.
In 1797 he sailed on the projected Manila expedition.
In February 1800 he was appointed Governor of Prince of Wales' Island and invested with the whole civil and military authority and on 20 April he arrived and took charge of the government. The Governor-general in council had selected him for the office of lieutenant-governor from his personal knowledge of Sir George's integrity, prudence and firmness and by his lordship's conviction that the services of Sir George Leith would be eminently useful in securing to the company all advantages to be derived from the important settlements (on Prince of Wales' Island). That year Sir George negotiated a further treaty with the Sultan for the cession of a strip of mainland Kedah which was then renamed Province Wellesley after Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley
, the Governor-General of India. He continued to govern till 1803 when he was succeeded by Sir Robert Townsend Farquhar
. The Prince of Wales' Island, together with Province Wellesley now formed the Settlement of Penang (the island having been locally known as Pulau Pinang, where in the Malay language "pulau" means "island" and "pinang" is the name of a variety of local palm tree).
He received a Majority in the 17th Foot on 1 January 1800 and a Lieutenant-Colonelcy in the 2nd West-India Regiment on 13 June 1805. In 1805, because of his part in quelling a rebellion, he was presented with a set of porcelain by the King of Burma. At this time he had also completed and caused to be published, a book about his experiences on the island up to that point. He continued as Lieutenant-Governor of Penang until 1806 when he received leave to return to England.
He was on the point of embarking for the West Indies, when he was ordered to Ireland as Assistant Assistant Adjutant-General of the British forces there. He attained the brevet
rank of Colonel in 1813, Major-General in 1819 and on the 20th of November of the same year he was appointed Colonel of the 9th Royal Veteran Battalion. He was lmade a Knight-Commander of the Order of the Bath.
In 1805 he wrote and had published the book, "A Short Account of the Settlement, Produce, and Commerce of Prince of Wales Island, in the Straits of Malacca".
He died in Scotland
in 1842. Leith Street in Penang is named after him.
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Sir George Alexander William Leith, the second Baronet, (1775), K.C.B. O.B was the first Lieutenant-Governor of Prince of Wales' Island
Penang Island
Penang Island is part of the state of Penang, on the west coat of Peninsular Malaysia. It was named Prince of Wales Island when it was occupied by the British East India Company on 12 August 1786, in honour of the birthday of the Prince of Wales, later King George IV...
(Penang Island) taking the reins over from George Caunter
George Caunter
George Caunter governed the Prince of Wales' Island as Acting Superintendent in 1797 during Superintendent Major Forbes Ross MacDonald's leave of absence and again in 1799 upon the resignation and departure of MacDonald...
, a Magistrate who was Acting Superintendent following the resignation and departure of the last governor, Superintendent, Major Forbes Ross MacDonald. He served in that position from his arrival in 1800 until 1803.
He was appointed an Ensign in the 88th Foot in 1779 and served in Jamaica. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1780. He returned to England in November 1781 and moved to the 2nd Battalion of the Royals. He transferred to the 71st Foot in Madras in 1786. In 1789 he was appointed Brigade-Major and served under Major-General Sir William Meadows and Governor of India, Lord Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...
. He was at the sieges of Bangalore and Sevendroog, the Storming of Tippoo's lines and the surrender of Seringapatam. He was promoted to Captain-Lieutenant 74th Foot on November 1, 1792 and then to Captain in the 73rd on March 7, 1795.
He served as aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the Governor-General
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
in 1793 and as Brigade Major
Brigade Major
In the British Army, a Brigade Major was the Chief of Staff of a brigade. He held the rank of Major and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section directly and oversaw the two other branches, "A - Administration" and "Q - Quartermaster"...
to the King's troops in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
in 1794.
In 1797 he sailed on the projected Manila expedition.
In February 1800 he was appointed Governor of Prince of Wales' Island and invested with the whole civil and military authority and on 20 April he arrived and took charge of the government. The Governor-general in council had selected him for the office of lieutenant-governor from his personal knowledge of Sir George's integrity, prudence and firmness and by his lordship's conviction that the services of Sir George Leith would be eminently useful in securing to the company all advantages to be derived from the important settlements (on Prince of Wales' Island). That year Sir George negotiated a further treaty with the Sultan for the cession of a strip of mainland Kedah which was then renamed Province Wellesley after Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley
Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley
Richard Colley Wesley, later Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, KG, PC, PC , styled Viscount Wellesley from birth until 1781, was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator....
, the Governor-General of India. He continued to govern till 1803 when he was succeeded by Sir Robert Townsend Farquhar
Robert Townsend Farquhar
Sir Robert Townsend Farquhar, 1st Baronet was an influential British merchant of the early nineteenth century who served as a colonial governor and Member of Parliament.During his lengthy service for both the East India Company and the British government,Farquhar gained a reputation as an...
. The Prince of Wales' Island, together with Province Wellesley now formed the Settlement of Penang (the island having been locally known as Pulau Pinang, where in the Malay language "pulau" means "island" and "pinang" is the name of a variety of local palm tree).
He received a Majority in the 17th Foot on 1 January 1800 and a Lieutenant-Colonelcy in the 2nd West-India Regiment on 13 June 1805. In 1805, because of his part in quelling a rebellion, he was presented with a set of porcelain by the King of Burma. At this time he had also completed and caused to be published, a book about his experiences on the island up to that point. He continued as Lieutenant-Governor of Penang until 1806 when he received leave to return to England.
He was on the point of embarking for the West Indies, when he was ordered to Ireland as Assistant Assistant Adjutant-General of the British forces there. He attained the brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
rank of Colonel in 1813, Major-General in 1819 and on the 20th of November of the same year he was appointed Colonel of the 9th Royal Veteran Battalion. He was lmade a Knight-Commander of the Order of the Bath.
In 1805 he wrote and had published the book, "A Short Account of the Settlement, Produce, and Commerce of Prince of Wales Island, in the Straits of Malacca".
He died in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1842. Leith Street in Penang is named after him.