The Dictionary of Australasian Biography/Herbert, Hon. Sir Robert George Wyndham
Herbert, Hon. Sir Robert George Wyndham, K.C.B., D.C.L. (Oxon.), LL.D. (Camb.), Permanent Under-Secretary for the Colonies, is a son of the late Hon. Algernon Herbert, fifth son of Henry, 1st Earl of Carnarvon, by Marianne, daughter of Thomas Lempriere, of Jersey. He was born on June 12th, 1831, and educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, where he was scholar in 1849; Hertford scholar in 1851; Ireland scholar and Latin verse prizeman in 1852, and Eldon scholar in 1854. He graduated B.A. with high honours in 1854, and in that year became Fellow of All Souls' College in the same university. He entered at the Inner Temple in July 1854, and was called to the bar in April 1858. Having been Secretary to Mr. Gladstone when Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1855, he emigrated to Australia, and going to Queensland, became in March 1859 Colonial Secretary of that colony after its separation from New South Wales, sitting in the first Legislative Assembly for Leichardt, and becoming the first Premier of that colony. His administration lasted till. Feb. 1866, Mr. Herbert holding the additional post of Acting Colonial Treasurer from Oct. 1864. He was again Premier without portfolio for a few days in July and August of the year 1866. Returning to England, he was one of the Assistant Secretaries to the Board of Trade from 1868 to Feb. 1870, when he was appointed Assistant Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies and Under-Secretary in succession to Sir Frederick Rogers (afterwards Lord Blackford) on May 21st, 1871. In Feb. 1892, after over twenty years' service as Under-Secretary, Sir Robert Herbert resigned this important post, which gives its occupant a highly potential voice in all the details of administration which the progress of self-governing institutions still leaves to the central authority in Downing Street. At the same time Sir Robert resigned the secretaryship of the Order of St Michael and St. George, which he had held since May 1877.