Date of Birth: 01/01/1788
Place of Birth: London, England
Date of Death: 01/05/1837
Place of Death: Southgate, London, England
Parliamentary Service
| Member of the NSW Legislative Council |
01 Dec 1823 |
20 Dec 1825 |
2 years 20 days |
An Appointed Member of the first Legislative Council 1824 - 1843 |
| Colonial Secretary and Registrar of Records |
30 Jun 1820 |
07 Jan 1826 |
5 years 6 months 9 days |
|
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Soldier; public servant - Colonial Secretary. In 1820 was appointed secretary to the Governor and Registrar of the records of New South Wales, through his brother's patronage. Became the first official Colonial Secretary of New South Wales - his predecessors were private secretaries to the Governor, but Goulburn at first acted in both capacities. Disagreements over the extent of Goulburn's duties and the interpretation of his Commission came to the surface. Goulburn sailed in the 'Triton' in February 1826 and joined his family in Ireland. For a short time he acted as under secretary in Dublin while his brother was chief secretary there. In 1829 he refused a colonial governorship and retired into private life.
Military Service
Joined the British Army on 25 May 1805 as a cornet in the 23rd Dragoons and was promoted Lieutenant on 11 September 1806 and Captain on 12 July 1810. In June 1813 he transferred to the 13th Dragoons, seeing action in the Peninsular War and later at Waterloo. In February 1816 he was transferred to the 104th Regiment, promoted to Major and placed on half-pay. In January 1837 he was gazetted Lieutenant-Colonel.
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Local Government Activity
Personal
Third son of Munbee Goulburn (d. 1793) of Portland Place, London (and formerly of Jamaica), and his wife Susannah Chetwynd (1762 - 1818), the daughter of the 4th Viscount Chetwynd.
Brother of Henry Goulburn, Member of Parliament (1784 - 1856), Under-secretary of the Home Office 1810 - 1812; Under-secretary for the colonies 1812 - 1821; chief secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1821 - 1828; Chancellor of the Exchequer 1828 - 1830, 1841 - 1846; and Home Secretary 1834 - 1835.
Additional Information
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 1.
A portrait (probably by Richard Read junior) is in the Legislative Council
vestibule, Parliament House, Sydney.
