Exporting the Westminster model: MPs and Colonial Governance in the Victorian era

Abstract

While the role of British colonial governors has been subject to recent extensive analysis, the collective phenomenon of Victorian Members of Parliament taking up gubernatorial office remains largely unaddressed. Between 1828 and 1868, 38 former MPs were appointed to colonial governorships. With metropolitan administrators, who believed in the superiority of British institutions, seeking to introduce greater colonial self-government from the 1830s onwards, the careers of these former MPs offer a direct and personal example of the challenges of exporting the Westminster style of politics to the British world. This article analyses the extent to which MPs, who became colonial governors, drew on their experiences of Westminster culture, particularly the art of negotiating the public and private spheres of political life, when attempting to introduce self-government to their respective colonies. Four MPs with varying political experience are considered: Charles Poulett Thomson, governor-general of Canada, 1839–41; Arthur Hamilton Gordon, lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick, 1861–66; Sir Charles Edward Grey, governor of Jamaica, 1847–53, and his successor, Sir Henry Barkly, 1853–56. The article argues that when these MPs enjoyed a measure of success in bargaining with a colonial assembly, it was because they were able to cultivate an effective public persona while exploiting, through private correspondence, their connections with former colleagues at Westminster.