George Thomas Michael O'Brien

Sir George Thomas Michael O'Brien
KCMG
Sir George Thomas Michael O'Brien KCMG
6th Governor of Fiji
	In office; March 1897 – 1901
Monarch	Victoria
Preceded by	Sir John Thurston
Succeeded by	Sir William Allardyce (acting)
5th High Commissioner for the Western Pacific
	In office; March 1897 – 1901
Preceded by	Sir John Thurston
Succeeded by	Sir William Allardyce (acting)
9th Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong
	In office; 1892–1895
Preceded by	Francis Fleming
Succeeded by	Sir James Stewart Lockhart
19th Accountant General and Controller of Revenue
	In office; 18 October 1890 – 31 July 1891
Preceded by	W. H. Ravenscroft
Succeeded by	James Alexander Swettenham
Treasurer of Ceylon
	In office; 6 August 1886 – 1890
Preceded by	William Dumaresq Wright
Succeeded by	Frederick Richard Saunders
Personal details
Born	5 November 1844
Died	12 April 1906 (aged 61)
Occupation	Colonial administrator

Sir George Thomas Michael O'Brien KCMG (Chinese: 柯布連) (5 November 1844 – 12 April 1906) was a British colonial official who served as Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong from 1892 to 1895, and as Governor of Fiji and High Commissioner for the Western Pacific from 1897 to June 1901.

Career

O'Brien was the 19th Accountant General and Controller of Revenue of British Ceylon. He was appointed on 18 October 1890, succeeding W. H. Ravenscroft, and held the office until 31 July 1891. He was succeeded by J. A. Swettenham.^[1] He also served as Treasurer of Ceylon from 1886 to 1890.

He became Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong in 1892, a position he held until 1895. In 1897, he succeeded John Thurston as Governor of Fiji and High Commissioner for the Western Pacific. He was recalled in June 1901 following a conflict with the New Zealand Government led by Richard Seddon regarding a proposed Federation of Fiji and New Zealand.^[2]

He died in 1906.^[3]

O'Brien Road (柯布連道) in Wan Chai, Hong Kong was named after him.^[4]

^ "Former Auditor Generals". auditorgeneral.gov.lk. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
^ Angus Ross, New Zealand Aspirations in the Pacific in the Nineteenth Century, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1964, p. 277.
^ The Brisbane Courier, Page5, 19 April 1906
^ Yanne, Andrew; Heller, Gillis (2009). Signs of a Colonial Era. Hong Kong University Press. p. 83. ISBN 9789622099449.

Legal offices
Preceded by W. H. Ravenscroft	Accountant General and Controller of Revenue 1890–1891	Succeeded by J. A. Swettenham
Government offices
Preceded by William Dumaresq Wright	Treasurer of Ceylon 1886–1890	Succeeded by Frederick Richard Saunders
Preceded by Francis Fleming	Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong 1892–1895	Succeeded by Sir James Stewart Lockhart
Preceded by Sir John Bates Thurston	High Commissioner for the Western Pacific 1897–1901	Succeeded by William Lamond Allardyce, acting
Preceded by Sir John Bates Thurston	Governor of Fiji 1897–1901	Succeeded by William Lamond Allardyce, acting