Hampton, John

Information about the early period of John Hampton's life is scarce. The certificate of his death says that he was born in 1810, but other data indicate his birth in 1806 or 1807.

He studied in Edinburgh, received a diploma in medicine in September 1828. He was appointed assistant ship doctor on the Britannia , but was soon transferred to the Sphinx . In 1832, he was ranked as a Plymouth shipyard, where he was involved in the prevention of cholera. Then he served on the ships "Savage" , "Firebrand" and "Portland" . In December 1834, Hampton was appointed surgeon, and in March 1843 he became a superintendent surgeon. From 1841 to 1845 he worked in the same position on the Mexborough , Constant, and Sir George Seymour ships carrying convicts to Van Dimen Land (now Tasmania ).

Having established himself well in this work, John Hampton was appointed in May 1846 the general controller of the condemned on Earth Van Diemen. He arrived at the colony on service on October 27 of the same year. While working in this position, Hampton was accused of cruelty and corruption in the local press. In 1855, the Tasmanian Legislative Council established a special committee to investigate these allegations. John Hampton did not appear for interrogation; he was found guilty of contempt of court and issued an arrest warrant. During lengthy proceedings, Hampton received leave due to illness and left the colony. The tribunal ultimately decided that his arrest was unlawful, but the final report presented the findings that Hampton was involved in using prison labor for personal gain. There is not much information about the next five years of his life - he left the civil service, having spent some time in Toronto , Canada , on personal matters.

In 1861, John Hampton was appointed Governor of Western Australia and arrived there the following year. Here he proved himself to be a tough leader, showing greater severity to prisoners than his predecessors. He introduced flogging as punishment and restored solitary confinement; often quarreled with the general controller of the convicts, who was dismissed in 1866. To this position, he appointed his son . But in general, the period of his governorship received the approval of the colonists.

At the end of his term as governor in November 1868, John Hampton returned to England on the Emily Smith . In the same year, his wife died, and Hampton himself died on December 1, 1869 in the city of Hastings, East Sussex.

• John Stephen Hampton
• JOHN STEPHEN HAMPTON