View source for Matthew Nathan

{{Short description|British soldier and colonial administrator (1862-1939)}}
{{for|the U.S. Navy surgeon general|Matthew L. Nathan}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-Colonel]] [[The Right Honourable]]
| name                = Sir Matthew Nathan
| honorific-suffix    = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100|GCMG|PCi}}
| image               = Sir Matthew Nathan.jpg
| order               = 20th
| office              = Governor of the Gold Coast
| term_start          = 17 December 1900
| term_end            = 9 February 1904
| monarch             = {{plainlist|
* [[Queen Victoria|Victoria]]
* [[King Edward VII|Edward VII]]
 }}
| lieutenant          = 
| predecessor         = [[Frederick Mitchell Hodgson]]
| successor           = [[John Pickersgill Rodger]]
| order2              = 13th
| office2             = Governor of Hong Kong
| 2blankname2         = [[Chief Secretary for Administration|Colonial Secretary]]
| 2namedata2          = [[Francis Henry May|Sir Francis Henry May]]
| term_start2         = 29 July 1904
| term_end2           = 29 July 1907
| lieutenant2         = 
| monarch2            = [[Edward VII]]
| predecessor2        = [[Henry Arthur Blake|Sir Henry Arthur Blake]]
| successor2          = [[Frederick Lugard|Sir Frederick Lugard]]
| order3              = 7th
| office3             = Governor of Natal
| term_start3         = 2 September 1907
| term_end3           = 23 December 1909
| monarch3            = [[Edward VII]]
| lieutenant3         = 
| predecessor3        = [[Henry Edward McCallum|Sir Henry Edward McCallum]]
| successor3          = [[Paul Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen]]
| order4              = 
| office4             = [[Under-Secretary for Ireland]]
| term_start4         = 12 October 1914
| term_end4           = 3 May 1916
| monarch4            = [[George V]]
| predecessor4        = [[James Dougherty (civil servant)|James Dougherty]]
| successor4          = [[Robert Chalmers, 1st Baron Chalmers|Robert Chalmers]]
| order5              = 13th
| office5             = Governor of Queensland
| term_start5         = 3 December 1920
| term_end5           = 17 September 1925
| lieutenant5         = 
| predecessor5        = [[Hamilton Goold-Adams|Sir Hamilton Goold-Adams]]
| successor5          = [[John Goodwin (governor)|Sir John Goodwin]]
| birth_date          = {{birth date|df=yes|1862|1|3}}
| birth_place         = [[Paddington]], [[London]], [[England]]
| death_date          = {{death date and age|df=yes|1939|4|18|1862|1|3}}
| death_place         = [[West Coker]], [[Somerset]], England
| resting_place       = [[Willesden Jewish Cemetery]], England
| nationality         = British
| relations           = 
| children            = 
| residence           = 
| alma_mater          = [[Royal Military Academy, Woolwich]]
| occupation          = 
| profession          = Soldier, colonial administrator
| signature           = 
| website             = 
| footnotes           = 
| module              = {{Chinese|child=yes|t=彌敦|s=弥敦|j=nei4 deon1|p=|por=}}
}}
[[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-Colonel]] '''Sir Matthew Nathan''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|GCMG|PCi}} (3 January 1862 – 18 April 1939) was a British soldier and colonial administrator, who variously served as the governor of [[Sierra Leone]], [[Gold Coast (British colony)|Gold Coast]], [[Hong Kong]], [[KwaZulu-Natal Province|Natal]] and [[Queensland]]. He was [[Under-Secretary for Ireland]] from 1914 to 1916, and was responsible, with the [[Chief Secretary for Ireland|Chief Secretary]], [[Augustine Birrell]], for the administration of Ireland in the years immediately preceding the [[Easter Rising]].

==Early life and career==
Nathan was born in [[Paddington]], London, England. He was of [[Jewish]] descent and the second son of businessman Jonah Nathan and Miriam Jacob Nathan. His brothers were Colonel Sir Frederick Nathan, an officer of the [[Royal Artillery]] and sometime Superintendent of [[Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills]], and Sir Nathaniel Nathan, a colonial judge in [[Trinidad and Tobago]].

Nathan was educated at [[Royal Military Academy, Woolwich|Royal Military Academy]], [[Woolwich]], where he was the winner of the [[Pollock Medal]] (1880) before being gazetted to [[Royal Engineers]] in 1880. He continued his training at the School of Military Engineering, [[Chatham, Kent|Chatham]] from 1880 to 1884.

Nathan was sent to military expeditions to [[Sudan]] (1884–1885) and to [[Lushai]], [[India]] (1889–1894). He was promoted to the position of [[Captain (land)|captain]] in 1889 and became the secretary to the Colonial Defence Committee between 1896 and 1898. Nathan was promoted to [[Major (rank)|major]] in 1898.

==Colonial career==
{{Moresources|section|date=July 2023}}
Nathan was appointed acting governor of [[Sierra Leone]] from 1899 to 1900. Late that year, he was appointed as Governor of [[Gold Coast (British colony)|Gold Coast]],<ref>{{London Gazette| issue=27245 |page=6854 |date=9 November 1900}}</ref> a position he occupied until 1903. In 1902, Nathan imported into the Gold Coast a £543 French [[Gardner-Serpollet]], paraffin-fired, [[Steam car|steam-driven car]] for his use on the roads around [[Accra]].<ref>Simon Heap, 'The development of motor transport in the Gold Coast, 1900–39', ''Journal of Transport History'', 1990, pp. 19–37.</ref> He was appointed a Knight Commander of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] (KCMG) in the [[1902 Coronation Honours]] list published on 26 June 1902,<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=The Coronation Honours |date=26 June 1902 |page=5 |issue=36804}}</ref><ref name=LG27448>{{London Gazette |issue=27448 |date=26 June 1902|page=4196|supp=y}}</ref> and invested by King [[Edward VII]] at [[Buckingham Palace]] on 24 October 1902.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Court Circular |date=25 October 1902 |page=8 |issue=36908}}</ref>

In 1903, Nathan was appointed as [[Governor of Hong Kong]], a position he would serve until 1907. During his tenure, Nathan made use of his engineering background to establish a central urban planning and reconstruction policy. He built a major thoroughfare in the marshy area of the [[Kowloon Peninsula]]; derided at the time as "Nathan's Folly", it developed into a major shopping avenue, afterwards named [[Nathan Road]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Miller |first1=Yvette Alt |title=Hong Kong and the Jews: 6 Facts |url=https://www.aish.com/jw/s/Hong-Kong-and-the-Jews-6-Facts.html |website=[[Aish HaTorah]] |access-date=28 July 2020 |date=18 June 2019 |archive-date=8 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608151119/https://www.aish.com/jw/s/Hong-Kong-and-the-Jews-6-Facts.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The construction of [[Kowloon-Canton Railway]] started under this period.

In 1907, Nathan was made Governor of [[KwaZulu-Natal Province|Natal]] (until 1909). In that same year, he was raised to a higher rank of [[lieutenant colonel]]. In 1909 he returned to [[England]] and took up an appointment as secretary to the [[General Post Office]], a position he served until 1911. He was chairman of the [[Board of Inland Revenue]] between 1911 and 1914.

==Under-Secretary for Ireland==
Nathan was appointed [[Under-Secretary for Ireland]] in late 1914, shortly after the outbreak of [[World War I]] and the signing into law of the [[Home Rule Act 1914]].<ref>Ó Broin, Leon, ''Dublin Castle & the 1916 Rising'', Sidgwick & Jackson, 1970, p. 12</ref> His immediate superior was the [[Chief Secretary for Ireland|Chief Secretary]], [[Augustine Birrell]]. The [[Lord Lieutenant of Ireland]] was then largely a ceremonial position, and the Chief Secretary spent much of his time in London, where he was a member of the cabinet. Therefore, the Under-Secretary was effectively the head of the administration in Ireland.<ref>Ó Broin, Leon, ''Dublin Castle & the 1916 Rising'', p. 21</ref>

Nathan's job involved liaising with the [[Irish Parliamentary Party]] (IPP) to prepare them for self-government. He was also concerned with recruiting in Ireland, and received regular reports from the police and military about anti-recruiting and pro-independence activity, including the threat of a German invasion or arms landing in support of an Irish rising.<ref>Ó Broin, Leon, ''Dublin Castle & the 1916 Rising'', pp. 19–23</ref> 

Alarmed at the growing numbers of separatists in the Civil Service, Nathan wrote to the authorities to have them transferred to England, and eventually got cabinet approval for a letter warning civil servants that they would be dismissed if they continued as members of the [[Irish Volunteers]].<ref>Ó Broin, Leon, ''Dublin Castle & the 1916 Rising'', pp. 32–34</ref> He used the [[Defence of the Realm Act 1914]] to suppress newspapers that he considered seditious, against the advice of the IPP<ref>Ó Broin, Leon, ''Dublin Castle & the 1916 Rising'', pp. 38–42</ref> In general, however, he avoided any action that might provoke violence.

On 21 April 1916, Nathan was informed that a German boat had been stopped off the coast of [[County Kerry]] carrying arms and ammunition and that a man had been arrested after coming ashore from another vessel. The man arrested was subsequently identified as Sir [[Roger Casement]]<ref>Ó Broin, Leon, ''Dublin Castle & the 1916 Rising'', p. 81</ref> 

A mobilization of the Irish Volunteers fixed for [[Easter Sunday]] was cancelled the day before. Nathan, believing that a rising had been averted, rejected the insistent urging of the Lord Lieutenant, [[Ivor Guest, 1st Viscount Wimborne|Lord Wimborne]], to order the arrest of a large number of rebel leaders and the necessity of raiding premises associated with the Irish Volunteers and the [[Irish Citizen Army]].<ref>Ó Broin, Leon, ''Dublin Castle & the 1916 Rising'', pp. 82–86</ref> Nathan cabled Birrell, the Chief Secretary, in London regarding Wilborne's demands. On Easter Monday, while he was in his office in [[Dublin Castle]], the [[Easter Rising]] broke out and Dublin Castle itself was attacked. An elderly unarmed sentry, Constable O'Brien, was shot dead by [[Sean Connolly]]. A passing priest administered the last rites.<ref>Ó Broin, Leon, ''Dublin Castle & the 1916 Rising'', p. 91</ref> 

The Castle gates were closed, and the rebels did not press the attack, but Nathan was a virtual prisoner until troops arrived from the [[Curragh Camp]] on Monday evening.<ref>Ó Broin, Leon, ''Dublin Castle & the 1916 Rising'', p. 94</ref> Nathan remained in the Castle for the rest of the week (being moved to the stables to accommodate the military), where he kept in contact with London, keeping the government up to date with the situation and helping to answer questions in Parliament.<ref>Ó Broin, Leon, ''Dublin Castle & the 1916 Rising'', p. 100</ref>

The Rising came to an end on 30 April. The same day, Birrell offered his resignation, and on 3 May, at Birrell's request, Nathan also resigned.<ref>Ó Broin, Leon, ''Dublin Castle & the 1916 Rising'', p. 117</ref> The [[Royal Commission]] on the 1916 Rebellion (the [[Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst|Hardinge]] commission) was critical of Birrell and Nathan, in particular their failure to take action against the rebels in the weeks and months before the Rising.<ref>Ó Broin, Leon, ''Dublin Castle & the 1916 Rising'', p. 161</ref>

==Later career==
{{Unsourced|section|date=November 2022}}
After his resignation, Nathan was appointed secretary to the Ministry of Pensions, a position he held until 1919. In 1920, he was appointed [[Governor of Queensland]] and served in that position until 1925. It was to be his last post in the Colonial Service. During his tenure, Nathan actively promoted British migration to [[Queensland]]. 

In 1922, he founded, along with [[Henry Caselli Richards]], the [[Great Barrier Reef]] Committee. He was chancellor of the [[University of Queensland]] in 1922–25 and was awarded an honorary LL.D. in 1925. 

After his appointment as governor expired, Nathan left Queensland for retirement in [[Somerset]], England, where he died in the village of [[West Coker]] in 1939. He was buried at [[Willesden Jewish Cemetery]], London.

==Honours==
*[[Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]], 1902<ref name=LG27448 />
*[[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George]], 1908

==Places named after him==
[[Nathan Road]], the main commercial artery in the [[Kowloon Peninsula]] (otherwise known as the Golden Mile), was named after him. 

In [[Australia]], [[Nathan, Queensland|Nathan]] and Nathan Heights in [[Brisbane]] (the capital city of Queensland) and Nathan Street in the [[Canberra]] suburb of [[Deakin, Australian Capital Territory|Deakin]] were named after him. 

Nathan House, a boarding house for Form 2 learners at [[Maritzburg College]] in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa is named in his honour. 

[[Scottburgh]], South Africa has a street named after Sir Matthew Nathan.

==See also==
* [[History of Hong Kong]]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Commons category|Matthew Nathan}}
*Paul D. Wilson, '[https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/nathan-sir-matthew-7728 Nathan, Sir Matthew (1862–1939)]', [[Australian Dictionary of Biography]], Volume 10, [[Melbourne University Press|MUP]], 1986, pp.&nbsp;667–668
* [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=112&letter=N Sir Matthew Nathan] at the Jewish encyclopedia
{{S-start}}
{{S-gov}}
{{Succession box|
 before = [[Frederick Mitchell Hodgson|Sir Frederick Mitchell Hodgson]] |
 title = [[Governor of the Gold Coast]] |
 years = 1900–1903 |
 after = [[John Pickersgill Rodger]]
}}
{{Succession box|
 before = [[Henry Arthur Blake|Sir Henry Arthur Blake]] |
 title = [[Governor of Hong Kong]] |
 years = 1904–1907 |
 after = [[Frederick Lugard|Sir Frederick Lugard]]
}}
{{Succession box|
 before = [[Henry Edward McCallum|Sir Henry Edward McCallum]] |
 title = [[Governor of Natal]] |
 years = 1907–1909 |
 after = [[Paul Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen|The Lord Methuen]]
}}
{{Succession box
 | title  = Chairman, [[Board of Inland Revenue]]
 | years  = 1911–1914
 | with   =
 | before = Sir [[Robert Chalmers, 1st Baron Chalmers|Robert Chalmers]]
 | after  = Sir [[Edmund Nott-Bower]]
}}
{{Succession box|
 before = [[Hamilton Goold-Adams|Sir Hamilton Goold-Adams]] |
 title = [[Governor of Queensland]] |
 years = 1920–1925 |
 after = [[John Goodwin (governor)|Sir John Goodwin]]
}}
{{S-end}}

{{Governor of Hong Kong}}
{{Governors of Queensland}}
{{Easter Rising}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nathan, Matthew}}
[[Category:1862 births]]
[[Category:1939 deaths]]
[[Category:Royal Engineers officers]]
[[Category:Governors of Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Governors of Queensland]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:English Jews]]
[[Category:Hong Kong Jews]]
[[Category:Jewish Australian politicians]]
[[Category:Jewish Chinese history]]
[[Category:People of the Easter Rising]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich]]
[[Category:Royal Artillery officers]]
[[Category:Under-secretaries for Ireland]]
[[Category:Secretaries of the General Post Office]]
[[Category:Chairmen of the Board of Inland Revenue]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of Ireland]]
[[Category:Military personnel from the City of Westminster]]
[[Category:People from Paddington]]
[[Category:Burials at Willesden Jewish Cemetery]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Lushai Expedition]]
[[Category:20th-century Hong Kong people]]
[[Category:20th-century British politicians]]
[[Category:Governors of Natal]]
[[Category:British people in colonial India]]
[[Category:Lieutenant colonels]]