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Sir Arthur Edward Kennedy GCMG CB (5 April 1809 – 3 June 1883) was a British colonial administrator who served as governor of a number of British colonies, namely Sierra Leone, Western Australia, Vancouver Island, Hong Kong and Queensland.

Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Colonial services 2.1 Governor of Western Australia 2.2 Governor of Vancouver Island 2.3 Governor of the West African Settlements 2.4 Governor of Hong Kong 2.5 Governor of Queensland 3 Later life 4 Personal life 5 Places named after him 6 References

Arthur Kennedy was born in Cultra, County Down, Ireland on 5 April 1809, the fourth son of Hugh Kennedy and his wife Grace Dorothea (née Hughes). He was educated by private tutor and in 1823–24 attended Trinity College, Dublin, where he met his predecessor as Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell.

Kennedy entered the British army, and was gazetted an ensign in the 27th Foot 11th Regiment on August 15, 1827. Until 1837 he served with infantry regiments on Corfu. He then bought a commission, and spent 1838–39 and 1841–44 in British North America as a captain in the 68th Regiment.

Kennedy returned to Ireland in 1846, and the following year sold his captaincy and took up an appointment with the Poor Law Commission. His job was to administer relief to the many inhabitants of County Clare who were affected by the Potato Famine.

In 1851, the famine having ended, Kennedy's position was abolished, and he applied for a position in the Colonial Service. In May 1852 he was appointed Governor of The Gambia, but before assuming office he was appointed Governor of Sierra Leone instead. He served in this office until 1854, during which time he made many administrative changes in an attempt to reform the corrupt and inefficient government.

In 1854, Kennedy was promoted to the position of Governor of Western Australia. He took up the position the following year, serving until 1862. He reputably had an autocratic manner and was considered a despot by many Western Australians. Popular opinion quickly turned against him, and in August 1856 a public meeting was held in Perth to protest against his methods. During his tenure as governor, Western Australia flourished, essentially because of the large amount of British money that was spent in the colony under the system of penal transportation of convicts. However when Kennedy resigned in 1862, he claimed that much of the colony's success was due to his legislative efforts. On his return to England, he was appointed a CB.

Kennedy's next appointment came in July 1863. The decision had been made that Vancouver Island and British Columbia, which had previously been governed together by a single governor, were each to have their own governor, and Kennedy was appointed Governor of Vancouver Island. Compared to his previous appointments, Vancouver Island was comparatively insignificant, and might be considered a demotion. Kennedy arrived at Vancouver Island in March 1864. Facing an extremely aggressive Legislative Assembly determined to challenge his executive power, Kennedy achieved little of note in his two years in office. During this time the colony fell into a disastrous economic depression, and Kennedy was unfairly blamed by the colony's inhabitants. With the creation of the United Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia, Kennedy left office in October 1866.

Kennedy returned to London, and in December 1867 he was knighted (KCB) and appointed Governor of the West African Settlements. He served there until 1872. In 1871 he was created a KCMG.

In 1872, Kennedy was appointed the 7th Governor of Hong Kong, a position in which he served until 1877. During his tenure, he created the Hong Kong dollar, which served as the unitary monetary unit for the territory. Since this time, the Hong Kong dollar has (albeit with a short period of disruption) served as the single monetary unit for the entire territory.

After his appointment as Governor of Hong Kong expired, Kennedy was immediately appointed Governor of Queensland, serving in that position until 1883. That was his last post in the Colonial Service. In 1881, Kennedy was created a GCMG.

On his resignation as Governor of Queensland, Kennedy boarded the Orient with the intention of returning to England. On 3 June 1883, when the Orient was off Aden in the Red Sea, Kennedy died. He was buried at sea.

In 1839, Kennedy married Georgina MacCartney, who died on 3 October 1874. They had two daughters and a son, Arthur Herbert Williams, who entered the army.

Kennedy Town, an area in the Western District of Hong Kong, and Kennedy Road, which is located in the mid-level of Wan Chai in Hong Kong, were both named after him. Kennedy Lake, a large freshwater lake near Port Alberni, British Columbia is likewise named for him.

• Sir Arthur Edward Kennedy at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• The Constitution Centre of Western Australia (2002). "Sir Arthur Edward Kennedy 1855-1862", Governors and Premiers of Western Australia. West Perth, Western Australia: The Constitution Centre of Western Australia. ISBN 0-7307-3821-3. 

Preceded by: Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell	Governor of The Gambia 1851-1852	Followed by: Sir Luke Smythe O'Connor
Preceded by: Norman William MacDonald	Governor of Sierra Leone 1852–1854	Followed by: Acting Administrator Robert Dougan
Preceded by: Captain Charles Fitzgerald	Governor of Western Australia 1855–1862	Followed by: John Stephen Hampton
Preceded by: Sir James Douglas	Governor of Vancouver Island 1864–1866	Followed by: None
Preceded by: Acting Administrator John Jennings Kendall	Governor of Sierra Leone 1868–1872	Followed by: Sir John Pope Hennessy
Preceded by: Sir Richard Graves Macdonell	7th Governor of Hong Kong 1872–1877	Followed by: Sir John Pope Hennessy
Preceded by: Sir William Wellington Cairns	Governor of Queensland 1877–1883	Followed by: Sir Anthony Musgrave