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Oliver St John (civil servant)
Encyclopedia
Sir Oliver Beauchamp Coventry St. John, KCSI
(21 March 1837 – 3 June 1891) was an administrator in British India. He served as the Chief Commissioner of Balochistan
for ten years.
Oliver St. John was born in Ryde
in the Isle of Wight
to Captain St. John of the Madras Army
. He studied at the East India Company's
Military College at Addiscombe
and joined the Bengal Engineers on 12 December 1856.
After serving in the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh
in the Public Works Department, he volunteered for work in Persia. This mission was mainly to establish a telegraph line between Persia and India. This mission along with Patrick Stewart was meant to lay a cable in the Persian Gulf
and a land cable line for telegraphic link to Bosporus
. Stewart and his brother Champain had already worked on a survey in Turkey. St. John worked on the expedition under Captain Murdoch Smith, R. E.
He later took charge of the line from Teheran to Bushahr (March 1866) and during this time a second telegraph line was added. He went home in May 1867 and he was then sent to Abyssinia to organize telegraph lines for the war. This line was 200 miles from the coast and this work led to his promotion. Towards the end of 1868 he returned to Persia and he remained here till 1871. In October 1871, Major St. John was sent to Baluchistan for the survey of the Perso-Kelat frontier. During all this time he took a keen interest in natural history and hunting. His personal notes are included in the zoology report of the expedition prepared by William Thomas Blanford
. He also corresponded with ornithologists in the region such as Allan Octavian Hume
. He returned to England in October 1872 and worked on preparing maps at the India Office. These maps were based on longitudes of the Persian telegraph stations fixed in co-operation with General Walker of the Indian Trigonometrical Survey, Captain Pierson, R.E., and Lieut. Stiffe, I.N.
St. John published his notes in the Narrative of a Journey through Baluchistan and Southern Persia (1876). He returned to India in 1875 and became Principal of the Mayo College
in Ajmer
. After August 1878 he became part of the staff of Sir Neville Chamberlain's mission to Kabul. He then became chief political officer to the Kandahar Field Force, becoming later Resident in Kandahar. An attempt was made on his life during a trip in Southern Afghanistan. He was also posted on special duty in Kashmir (January 1883), acting Resident in Hyderabad (April-July 1884), Resident in Kashmir (August 1884), Agent to the Governor-General at Baroda (December 1887), Resident at Mysore and Chief Commissioner in Coorg (January 1889). He was later recalled from Southern India to Baluchistan. He died in Quetta of Pneumonia after an attack of influenza.
Blanford's account of zoology in the Persian border commission expedition includes notes on his experiences with lions in Persia while another account is provided of him chasing a tiger that threatened a colleague.
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
(21 March 1837 – 3 June 1891) was an administrator in British India. He served as the Chief Commissioner of Balochistan
Baluchistan (Chief Commissioners Province)
The Chief Commissioner's Province of Baluchistan was a province of British India located in the northern parts of the modern Balochistan province.- History :...
for ten years.
Oliver St. John was born in Ryde
Ryde
Ryde is a British seaside town, civil parish and the most populous town and urban area on the Isle of Wight, with a population of approximately 30,000. It is situated on the north-east coast. The town grew in size as a seaside resort following the joining of the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower...
in the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
to Captain St. John of the Madras Army
Madras Army
The Madras Army was the army of the Presidency of Madras, one of the three presidencies of the British India within the British Empire.The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company until the Government of India Act 1858 transferred all three...
. He studied at the East India Company's
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
Military College at Addiscombe
Addiscombe
Addiscombe is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Croydon. It is situated south of Charing Cross.It is situated just to the northeast of central Croydon, and is home to a high proportion of people who commute to Central London, owing to its proximity to the busy...
and joined the Bengal Engineers on 12 December 1856.
United Provinces of Agra and Oudh
The United Provinces of Agra and Oudh was a province of India under the British Raj, which existed from 1902 to 1947; the official name was shortened by the Government of India Act 1935 to United Provinces, by which the province had been commonly known, and by which name it was also a province of...
in the Public Works Department, he volunteered for work in Persia. This mission was mainly to establish a telegraph line between Persia and India. This mission along with Patrick Stewart was meant to lay a cable in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
and a land cable line for telegraphic link to Bosporus
Bosporus
The Bosphorus or Bosporus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles...
. Stewart and his brother Champain had already worked on a survey in Turkey. St. John worked on the expedition under Captain Murdoch Smith, R. E.
He later took charge of the line from Teheran to Bushahr (March 1866) and during this time a second telegraph line was added. He went home in May 1867 and he was then sent to Abyssinia to organize telegraph lines for the war. This line was 200 miles from the coast and this work led to his promotion. Towards the end of 1868 he returned to Persia and he remained here till 1871. In October 1871, Major St. John was sent to Baluchistan for the survey of the Perso-Kelat frontier. During all this time he took a keen interest in natural history and hunting. His personal notes are included in the zoology report of the expedition prepared by William Thomas Blanford
William Thomas Blanford
William Thomas Blanford was an English geologist and naturalist. He is best remembered as the editor of a major series on The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma.-Biography:Blanford was born in London...
. He also corresponded with ornithologists in the region such as Allan Octavian Hume
Allan Octavian Hume
Allan Octavian Hume was a civil servant, political reformer and amateur ornithologist in British India. He was one of the founders of the Indian National Congress, a political party that was later to lead the Indian independence movement...
. He returned to England in October 1872 and worked on preparing maps at the India Office. These maps were based on longitudes of the Persian telegraph stations fixed in co-operation with General Walker of the Indian Trigonometrical Survey, Captain Pierson, R.E., and Lieut. Stiffe, I.N.
St. John published his notes in the Narrative of a Journey through Baluchistan and Southern Persia (1876). He returned to India in 1875 and became Principal of the Mayo College
Mayo College
Mayo College is a public school founded by the 6th Earl of Mayo, who was Viceroy of India from 1869 to 1872.The school is located in Ajmer, in the state of Rajasthan, India....
in Ajmer
Ajmer
Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...
. After August 1878 he became part of the staff of Sir Neville Chamberlain's mission to Kabul. He then became chief political officer to the Kandahar Field Force, becoming later Resident in Kandahar. An attempt was made on his life during a trip in Southern Afghanistan. He was also posted on special duty in Kashmir (January 1883), acting Resident in Hyderabad (April-July 1884), Resident in Kashmir (August 1884), Agent to the Governor-General at Baroda (December 1887), Resident at Mysore and Chief Commissioner in Coorg (January 1889). He was later recalled from Southern India to Baluchistan. He died in Quetta of Pneumonia after an attack of influenza.
Blanford's account of zoology in the Persian border commission expedition includes notes on his experiences with lions in Persia while another account is provided of him chasing a tiger that threatened a colleague.