William Bligh

William Bligh FRS
Portrait by Alexander Huey (1814)
4th Governor of New South Wales
In office 13 August 1806 – 26 January 1808
Monarch	George III
Lieutenant	William Paterson
Preceded by	Philip Gidley King
Succeeded by	Lachlan Macquarie
Personal details
Born	(1754-09-09)9 September 1754 Plymouth, Devon (or St Tudy, Cornwall), England
Died	7 December 1817(1817-12-07) (aged 63) London, England
Resting place	St Mary-at-Lambeth, Lambeth, London, England
Spouse	Elizabeth Betham ​ ​ (m. 1781; died 1812)​
Children	8, including Mary Putland
Occupation	Naval officer, colonial administrator
Known for	Mutiny on the Bounty
Military service
Branch/service	Royal Navy
Years of service	1761–1783[a] 1787–1817
Rank	Vice-Admiral of the Blue
Battles/wars	American Revolutionary War Great Siege of Gibraltar Fourth Anglo-Dutch War Battle of Dogger Bank War of the First Coalition Battle of Camperdown War of the Second Coalition Battle of Copenhagen
Awards	Naval Gold Medal

Vice-Admiral William Bligh FRS (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was a British officer in the Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. He is best known for the mutiny on HMS Bounty, which occurred in 1789 when the ship was under his command. The reasons behind the mutiny continue to be debated. After being set adrift in Bounty's launch by the mutineers, Bligh and those loyal to him stopped for supplies on Tofua, losing a man to natives. Bligh and his men reached Timor alive, after a journey of 3,618 nautical miles (6,700 km; 4,160 mi).

On 13 August 1806, Bligh was appointed Governor of New South Wales in Australia, with orders to clean up the corrupt rum trade of the New South Wales Corps. His actions directed against the trade resulted in the so-called Rum Rebellion, during which Bligh was placed under arrest on 26 January 1808 by the New South Wales Corps and deposed from his command, an act which the British Foreign Office later declared to be illegal. He died in London on 7 December 1817.

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