John Clements Wickham
John Clements Wickham (21 November 1798 – 6 January 1864) was a Scottish explorer, naval officer, magistrate and administrator. He was first lieutenant on HMS Beagle during its second survey mission, 1831–1836, under captain Robert FitzRoy. The young naturalist and geologist Charles Darwin was a supernumerary on the ship, and his journal was published as The Voyage of the Beagle. After that expedition, Wickham was promoted to Commander and made captain of the Beagle on its third voyage, from 1837 and conducted various maritime expeditions and hydrographic surveys along the Australian coastline.
Captain John Clements Wickham | |
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Portrait of John Clements Wickham | |
| Police Magistrate, District of Moreton Bay, New South Wales | |
| In office 1 January 1843 – 8 April 1853 | |
| Appointed by | Sir George Gipps |
| Preceded by | Gilbert Elliot |
| Succeeded by | None; position renamed Police Magistrate, Brisbane |
| Government Resident, District of Moreton Bay, New South Wales | |
| In office 8 April 1853 – 1858 | |
| Appointed by | Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Frederick Rawkins |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 November 1798 Leith, Scotland |
| Died | 6 January 1864 (aged 65) Biarritz, France |
| Resting place | churchyard of St Jean de Luz |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1812 – 1841 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Commands | HMS Beagle |
In 1843, after his retirement from the Royal Navy, Wickham was made Police Magistrate and, later, Government Resident of the Moreton Bay District, in the Colony of New South Wales (NSW). Wickham retired in 1859, when the Moreton Bay District was separated from NSW, forming basis of the Colony of Queensland. When the Queensland and NSW governments disagreed over which was responsible for his pension, Wickham moved to France, where he died.