William Cairns
Sir William Wellington Cairns, was a British colonial administrator.Life
Cairns was born in Belfast on 3 March 1828.
He served in various senior colonial civil service posts in the British Empire including Trinidad, moving due to health issues, before being appointed Governor of Queensland in January 1875. He held the post for two years before becoming the Administrator of South Australia in 1877.
Cairns was given a CMG in 1874, followed by a knighthood in 1877. Later reflections of his contributions to colonial public life were not considered highly:
He subsequently returned to England where he died in London on 7 July 1888, unmarried. He is buried in a modest grave against the east wall of Brompton Cemetery near the north-east corner with Anna Maria Cairns, his sister.
Legacy
The city of Cairns in Queensland was named after him in 1876.
