(1791 - 1847)

Born in England, Gipps joined the Royal Engineers in 1809, having graduated from the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich. He was sent to the West Indies in the 1820s, where he was commended for his administrative work.

In 1835 he was appointed as part of a three man board to investigate the unrest in Lower Canada. His liberal ideology and strong personality impressed the Home government, and he was appointed governor of New South Wales.

He arrived in Sydney in 1838, and soon discovered that he could not please both the colonists and his imperial government's wishes at the same time. His tenure was described by his critics as being the "do - nothing government".

He did confront many major problems, including Aboriginal and settler violence, a drought, and a severe economic depression. He clashed with the colonial government over the issue of control of colony finance, and his crown lands policy was eventually abandoned by the imperial government, and concessions to the colonial landowners came about.

Widely described as the worst governor that Sydney had ever had, he was often a champion of the rights of the less well off, and in recognition of that fact they allowed him to extend his tenure by two years. He returned to England in poor health in 1846, and died during the following year.

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