Matthew Nathan

Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Matthew Nathan, GCMG (3 January 1862 – 18 April 1939) was a British soldier and civil servant, who variously served as the Governor of Sierra Leone, Gold Coast, Hong Kong, Natal and Queensland. He was Under-Secretary for Ireland from 1914 to 1916, and was responsible, with the Chief Secretary, Augustine Birrell, for co-ordinating the British response to the Easter Rising in Ireland.

Early life and career

Nathan was born in Paddington, England. He was of Jewish descent and the second son of businessman Jonah Nathan and Miriam Jacob Nathan. His brothers were Major F. L. Nathan, R.A. an officer of the Royal Artillery and Superintendent of Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills, and Sir Nathaniel Nathan, a colonial judge in Trinidad and Tobago.

Nathan was educated at Royal Military College, Sandhurst and Royal Engineers' School, Chatham from 1880 to 1884. He was gazetted to Royal Engineers in 1880.

Nathan was sent to military expeditions to Sudan (1884–1885) and to Lushai, India (1889–1894). He was promoted to the position of Captain in 1889 and became the secretary to the Colonial Defence Committee between 1896 and 1898. Nathan was promoted to Major in...
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