Henry Ellis
6th colonial governor of Georgia
In office
May 17, 1758 – November 1760
LieutenantJonathan Belcher
Preceded byJohn Reynolds
Succeeded byJames Wright
Governor of Nova Scotia
In office
1760–1763
Preceded byCharles Lawrence
Succeeded byMontague Wilmot
Personal details
Born(1721-08-29)August 29, 1721
County Monaghan, Ireland
DiedJanuary 21, 1806(1806-01-21) (aged 84)
Naples, Italy
ProfessionExplorer, author, and governor
Signature

Henry Ellis (August 29, 1721 – January 21, 1806) was an Irish explorer, author and slave trader who served as the governor of the colonies of Georgia and Nova Scotia.

Biography

Early years

Ellis was born August 29, 1721, in County Monaghan, Ireland, the son of Francis and Joan (née Maxwell) Ellis. He studied law at the Middle Temple in London.[1] In May 1746, he went out as agent of a company for the discovery of the Northwest Passage. After extinguishing with difficulty a fire in his ship, he sailed to Greenland, where he exchanged commodities with the Inuit peoples on July 8. He then proceeded to Fort Nelson and wintered in Hayes River. He renewed his efforts in June 1747, without success, and returned to England where he arrived on October 14. He published an account of his explorations in 1748, entitled A voyage to Hudson's-Bay by the Dobbs Galley and California in the years 1746 and 1747 for discovering a North West Passage[2]" and in 1750 published Considerations on the Great Advantages which would Arise from the Discovery of the North West Passage.[3] After publishing these accounts, Ellis was inducted into the Royal Society.

Governor of Georgia

Lord Halifax, President of the Board of Trade, named Ellis lieutenant governor of Georgia on August 15, 1756. Ellis arrived at Savannah, Georgia, on February 16, 1757, and, on May 17, 1758, was made royal governor. His administration of the colony was highly esteemed. Recognizing the danger posed to the colony by hostile neighbors, he established a treaty with the Creeks.[4] He published "Heat of the Weather in Georgia" in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in 1758.[5] The subtropical climate took its toll on his health and he had to be removed from governor then left Georgia on November 2, 1760, stopping in New York to request military assistance to the southern colonies.

Later years

After his return to England, his knowledge of American affairs were called into requisition for developing the plan for taxing the colonies. In return for this service he was rewarded with sinecure offices. From 1761 to 1763, he held the commission of governor of Nova Scotia, though he did not enter on the duties of his office.[6] He afterward resided in Italy, principally occupied in scientific researches. Before he died he had a friendship with the Creek leader.

Death

He died on January 21, 1806, (aged 84–85) in Naples, Italy.

Legacy

Fort Ellis in Nova Scotia and Ellis Square in Savannah, Georgia are named after him.

References

  1. ↑ Who was who in America. Marquis-Who's Who. 1963.
  2. ↑ Ellis, Henry. A voyage to Hudson's-Bay by the "Dobbs Galley" and "California" in the years 1746 and 1747 for discovering a North West Passage. Dublin: George and Alexander Ewing. ISBN 9780665348952. Retrieved May 14, 2016 – via archive.org.
  3. ↑ Ellis, Henry (1750). Considerations on the Great Advantages which would Arise from the Discovery of the North West Passage. London. Retrieved May 14, 2016 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ Ellis, Henry. "[Letter], 1760 Feb. 9, to the king's beloved men and head warriors of the upper and lower Creek Nations". Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
    - Ellis, Henry. "[Letter] 1760 May 26, Savannah, Georgia to the Mico's Head-Men [i.e. Micco's headmen] and warriors of the Creek Nation". Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  5. ↑ Ellis, Henry (1757). "An Account of the Heat of the Weather in Georgia". Philosophical Transactions. Royal Society. 50: 754. doi:10.1098/rstl.1757.0103.
  6. ↑ "Quebec History".
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