Sir Henry Wylie Norman

Field Marshal Sir Henry Norman is the eldest son of eldest son of James Norman, merchant, and his wife Charlotte, née Wylie.

A general from 1882, Sir Henry Norman succeeded Sir Anthony Musgrave as governor of Jamaica in December 1883, supervised a difficult period of constitutional change, then accepted the governorship of Queensland on 12 November 1888 when Sir Henry Blake's nomination proved unacceptable there. He arrived in Brisbane on 1 May 1889 to a magnificent welcome. Quickly perceiving the fragility of the colonial economy, Norman reported in late December 1892 that 'the solvency of Queensland depends on the solvency of the [Queensland National] Bank'. He travelled extensively, assessing separation moves by central and northern Queenslanders, and doubted the practicality and likelihood of Australian federation, commenting that 'no class of person seem to have a real interest one way or another'. Public-spirited and a strong supporter of colonial rights, Norman, unlike Musgrave, was generally liked and respected. However, Lee-Warner's claim that 'he changed the direction of a stormy wind of discontent into one of strong affection for himself and of good will towards his Sovereign' is much exaggerated. Declining the post of viceroy of India in September 1893, Norman left Queensland on 14 November 1895 for London where he acted for a year as agent-general for the colony. In 1902 he was promoted field marshal. Australian Biography

Vested In:

• Companion, Order of the Indian Empire (C.I.E.).
• Knight Grand Cross, Order of St. Michael and St. George (G.C.M.G.) (1887).
• Knight Grand Cross, Order of the Bath (G.C.B.) (1887).
• C.B. (1859)
• K.C.B. (1873)

At Peshawar on 14 April 1853 Norman had married Selina Eliza Davidson (d.1862), by whom he had three daughters.

He married a widow Jemima Anne Temple, née Knowles, in September 1864, but she died next year.

On 1 March 1870 he married Alice Claudine Sandys, who survived him with two sons and one daughter when he died at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London, on 26 October 1904.

He was buried in Brompton cemetery with military honours. Tablets to his memory were placed in Delhi, at Chelsea and in St Paul's Cathedral, London.

Citations and Links:

• Australian Biography
• Wiki Pedia
• The Peerage
• Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, volume 2, page 2147