Matthew Nathan
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Sir Matthew Nathan (1862 - 1939) was a British soldier and civil servant.
Nathan was Jewish. He was born on 3 January 1862 at Paddington, England. He was edcuated at Royal Military College, Sandhurst and Royal Engineers' School, Chatham in 1880-1884 when he was gazetted to Royal Engineers in 1880. He was sent to military expedition to Sudan (1884-1885) and to Lushai (1889-1894). He was promoted to the position of Captain in 1889. He became the secretary to the Colonial Defence Committee in 1896-1898 and he was promoted to Major in 1898. He was appointed governor of Sierra Leone (acting, 1899-1900), Gold Coast (1900-1903), Hong Kong (1903-1907), and Natal (1907-1909). He was raise to a higher rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 1907. He returned to England in 1907 and and took up an appointment of secretary to the General Post Office (1909-1911). He became the Chairman of the Board of Ireland Revenue in 1911-1914. He served as under-secretary for Ireland in 1914-1916 and secretary to the Ministry of Pension in 1916-1919. He was appointed governor of Queensland from 3 December 1920 to 17 September 1925. During his five years in that position he promoted British migration to Queensland.
He left Queensland in 1925 for years of semi-retirement in Somerset, England. He died there in 1939.
Nathan never married, but it was said that he had affairs with a number of women.
He was maded a K.C.M.G. in 1902 and a G.C.M.G. in 1908.
Nathan Road, the main commercial artery in Kowloon, Hong Kong (otherwise known as the Golden Mile), was named after him, who served as governor at the time the road was renovated.
See also
| Preceded by: Sir Frederic Cardew | Governor of Sierra Leone 1899–1900 | Succeeded by: Sir Frederic Cardew |
| Preceded by: Frederick Mitchell Hodgson | Governor of Gold Coast 1900–1903 | Succeeded by: John Pickersgill Rodger |
| Preceded by: Sir Henry Arthur Blake | Governor of Hong Kong 1904–1907 | Succeeded by: Lord Frederick Lugard |
| Preceded by: Sir Henry Edward McCallum | Governor of Natal 1907–1909 | Succeeded by: Paul Sandford |
| Preceded by: Sir Hamilton John Goold-Adams | Governor of Queensland 1920–1925 | Succeeded by: Sir Thomas Goodwin |