George William Stewart

Major
George William Stewart
Postmaster General of Ceylon
In office
1826 - 1833
Preceded byLouis Sansoni
Succeeded byGeorge Lee
Personal details
Born(1793-09-25)25 September 1793
Died20 April 1841(1841-04-20) (aged 47)
Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
NationalityBritish
SpouseMaria Wilhelmina Sophia née Tranchell (m.1807)
RelationsJames (brother); William (brother)
ChildrenSophia
Occupationmilitary officer

Major George William Stewart (25 September 1793 - 20 April 1841), was the third Postmaster General of Ceylon, serving from 1826 to 1833.[1]

Stewart was a lieutenant in the 19th Regiment of Foot, who were stationed in Ceylon between 1796 and 1820, during which time they were involved in the Kandyan Wars. In 1810 he was promoted to captain.[2] He was appointed as the Postmaster General of Ceylon in 1826. During his tenure he was instrumental in extending the postal services to major towns in the colony.[3][4] He went on to be commissioned in 1830 as a major in the Ceylon Rifle Regiment.[5] After his retirement he became an oil merchant and had a chekku mill, and was known as 'Vanniya Stewart'.

On 9 February 1807 Stewart married Maria Wilhelmina Sophia Tranchell (1791-1867), the daughter of Carl Jonas Tranchell (1754-1807), the Consul for Sweden in Ceylon.[6][7][8] They had one daughter, Sophia (1824-1906).

Stewart died on 20 April 1841 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, at the age of 48.[9]

References

  1. ^ Ferguson's Ceylon Directory. Colombo: Associated Newspapers of Ceylon. 1968. p. 351.
  2. ^ Campbell, Lawrence Dundas; Samuel, E. (1812). "The Asiatic Annual Register or A View of the History of Hindustan, and of the Politics, Commerce and Literature of Asia". 12. J. Debrett: 173. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ "Our History". Sri Lanka Post. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  4. ^ Jamaldeen, Naalir (6 October 2013). "Modern technology for post offices". Sunday Observer. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  5. ^ War Office (1833). A List of the Officers of the Army and of the Corps of Royal Marines. War Office. p. 56.
  6. ^ Lewis, John Penry (1913). List of inscriptions on tombstones and monuments in Ceylon, of historical or local interest, with an obituary of persons uncommemorated. Dalcassian Publishing Company. p. 207.
  7. ^ Roberts, Michael; Raheem, Ismeth; Colin-Thomé, Percy (1989). People Inbetween: The Burghers and the middle class in the transformations within Sri Lanka, 1790s-1960s. Sarvodaya Book Publishing Services. p. 51. ISBN 9789555990134.
  8. ^ Leendertz, P; Anspach, Jacobus; van Someren, Jan Frederik (1900). Fuldauer, G (ed.). De Navorscher: Een middel tot gedachtenwisseling en letterkundig verkeer tuschen allen, die iets weten, iets te vragen hebben of iets kunnen oplossen. Vol. 50. p. 499.
  9. ^ "Will of George Stewart, Major of the British Ceylon Rifle Regiment of Boulogne sur Mer , Kingdom of France". The National Archives. 1840. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  • Liyanage, Michael (1987). The History of the Sri Lanka Post Office: 1815-1987. Colombo: Union of Post & Telecommunication Officers, Sri Lanka.
  • Sri Lanka Post
Government offices
Preceded by Postmaster General of Ceylon
1826–1833 		Succeeded by