William Edward Maxwell

Sir William Edward Maxwell, KCMG (5 August 1846 –14 December 1897) was a British colonial official who served as Colonial Secretary of the Straits Settlements and Governor of the Gold Coast, then a British colony.

Early days

Born on 5 August 1846, William Edward Maxwell was the son of Sir Peter Benson Maxwell, the Chief Justice of the Straits Settlements.

Career

Straits Settlements

Maxwell followed his father into the legal profession, and also served in the courts of the Straits Settlements.

In 1883, Maxwell was appointed the Commissioner of Land Titles in the Straits Settlements, to be a Member of the Executive and Legislative Councils of those Settlements. In 1889, he was appointed the Resident of Selangor. He became the Colonial Secretary of the Straits Settlements in 1892, and was acting governor from 30 August 1893 to 1 February 1894.

Anglo-Ashanti War

In 1895, Maxwell was promoted to the governorship of the Gold Coast (now Ghana). Under his governorship the British declared war on the Asante Empire, the fourth Anglo-Ashanti War, known as the "Second Ashanti Expedition" in 1895.

An earlier Treaty signed by the Asantes in 1874, but whose terms were widely considered as absurd and unenforcable, was invoked by Maxwell. When the Asante King, Asantehene Agyeman Prempeh, could not meet the terms, Maxwell had him arrested, together with his mother, father, brother, uncles and a dozen advisors. They were later exiled to the Seychelles, not returning to the Gold Coast (now Ghana) until the 1920s.

Awards and honours

Maxwell was invested with Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG) in 1885 and Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG) in 1896.