Person

Smith, Alexander (1812 - 1872)

Born
20 December 1812
Greenwich, United Kingdom
Died
1 September 1872
Sandhurst, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Antarctic explorer, Astronomer and Naval officer

Summary

Alexander Smith joined the Royal Navy at 15 and served for four years on HMS Thetis until she was wrecked off South America in 1830. In 1839 he was posted to HMSTerror for James Ross Clark's 1839 - 1843 voyages of exploration in Antarctic waters. At the conclusion of the expedition he was promoted to Lieutenant and was given the senior Royal Navy position at the Rossbank Observatory in Hobart. He resigned from this post in 1852 and moved to Victoria.

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Details

Chronology

December 1826 - December 1830
Career position - Volunteer Midshipman, H.M.S. Thetis
1832 - 1835
Career position - Midshipman on board H.M.S. Harrier in the East indies
1835
Career event - Passed Lieutenant's examination
1839 - 1843
Career position - Midshipman (later Lieutenant), H.M.S. Terror, British Antarctic Expedition
1841
Career event - Promoted Lieutenant
1844 - 1852
Career position - Naval officer and observer, Rossbank Observatory, Hobart, Tasmania
1853 - 1861
Career position - Goldfields Commissioner and warden, Castlemaine, Victoria
1853 - 1861
Career position - Goldfields Commissioner and warden, Castlemaine, Victoria
1864
Career event - Promoted Retired Commander

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Published resources

Books

  • Ramsland, John, From Antarctica to the Gold Rushes: in the Wake of the Erebus: the Explorations of Alexander Smith RN, Polar Voyager, Astronomer and Goldfields Comissioner, 1812-1872 (Melbourne: Brolga Publishing, 2011), 376 pp. Details

Journal Articles

  • Ramsland, John, 'Alexander Smith RN (1812-1872): Antarctic Explorer and Goldfields Commissioner', The Great Circle: Journal of the Australian Association for Maritime History, 35 (1) (2013), 6-28. Details
  • Savours, Ann and McConnell, Anita, 'The History of the Rossbank Observatory, Tasmania', Annals of Science, 39 (1982), 527-564. Details

Helen Cohn

Last modified: 7 March 2023

EOAS ID: biogs/P005605b.htm

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