E18: The Tyranny of Governor Philip Gidley King

E18: The Tyranny of Governor Philip Gidley King

From Political History of Australia by John Ruddick

March 4, 2026 · 30 min · Season 1 · Episode 18

About this episode

This episode discusses the tyrannical reforms of Governor Philip Gidley King in early 19th century New South Wales.

In the first year of the 19th century Captain Philip Gidley King was sworn in as the third Governor of New South Wales. The second governor (John Hunter) had come to the job expecting to be a ‘gentlemen governor’ and New South Wales a comfy reward for his decades of distinguished service to the British Empire. But Hunter was driven half-mad by the colony and ended up sacked by London.   Governor King was younger and more energetic – he arrived in Sydney as a man on a mission. He was determined to restore the power and prestige of the state - he was looking for a fight (which he would get). Governor King’s ‘reforms’ were tyrannical and counter-productive … so much so, the colony began to fear famine again. It wouldn’t be too long until the great crusader was writing to London and hoping he could get away sooner than planned. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please leave a comment, share and rate the show ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Also listen and subscribe at Youtube and Rumble here 👉@politicalhistoryofaustralia The Hon. John Ruddick MLC is a member of the NSW Legislative Council.  johnruddick.com.au…

People in this episode

Host: John Ruddick

Topics covered

  • Australian history
  • colonial governance
  • political reforms
  • New South Wales
  • 19th century
  • Governor King

Keywords

  • Governor King
  • New South Wales
  • colonial history
  • political tyranny
  • 19th century Australia

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: British Empire, NSW Legislative Council

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