Robert John Sholl
British colonial settler in Western Australia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Robert John Sholl (16 July 1819 – 19 June 1886) was a government administrator, magistrate, explorer, journalist, entrepreneur, harbourmaster, customs official, postmaster and lay reader in Western Australia (WA), during the colonial era.[1][4] Because of his multiple, simultaneous roles, which carried judicial, political, cultural and commercial power and influence, Sholl is regarded as a significant figure in the history of North-West Australia, at an early stage of its settlement by Europeans.
Robert John Sholl | |
---|---|
Government Resident, North District,[1][2] (a. k. a.) Resident Magistrate, Roebourne | |
In office 1865–1881 | |
Succeeded by | E. H. Laurence[3] |
Personal details | |
Born | (1819-07-16)16 July 1819 London |
Died | 19 June 1886(1886-06-19) (aged 66) Perth, Western Australia[1] |
Resting place | East Perth Cemetery |
Spouse | Mary Ann Berckelman |
Between 1865 and 1881, Sholl was the most senior government official and only judicial officer in North West Australia between the Murchison River and Timor Sea – a jurisdiction known at the time as the North District.[5] His headquarters at Roebourne was extremely isolated – messages took weeks to travel between Sholl and his immediate superior, Frederick Barlee, Colonial Secretary of Western Australia.[6] Consequently, Sholl wielded considerable, de facto executive power;[7] an obituary in The West Australian described him as having been "virtually a Lieutenant Governor" of the North District.[1]