Governor of Western Australia
In 1861, Hampton was appointed Governor of Western Australia. He arrived in the colony the following year, and immediately took far more direct control of Western Australia's convict establishment than had his predecessors. He imposed a far stricted regime than in the past, with increased use of flogging as a punishment, and the reintroduction of solitary confinement. Hampton constantly quarrelled with the Comptroller General of Convicts and in 1866 he had him removed. Hampton then appointed his son George to act in the position. George Hampton had no particular qualifications for the position, and already held a number of other salaried positions. This "unusually blatant act of nepotism"1 was extremely unpopular within the colony, and was compounded when Hampton approved his son a living allowance, to which he was entitled but did not need since he lived in Government House. Thereafter, both Hamptons became figures of public hostility and ridicule within the colony.
The Government of Western Australia was in acute debt when Hampton took over as Governor. He immediately imposed strict cost-cutting measures, including using convict labour instead of contract labour whenever possible. Within a year the colony had recovered from its financial problems, and a few years later was on a firm financial footing. His sound financial management endeared him to the Colonial Office, and went some way to alleviating his unpopular public image. His vigorous public works program also met with strong approval by the colonists.
It is not known whether Hampton sought a second term as Governor. On the expiry of his term in November 1868, he returned to England on the Emily Smith. His wife died shortly after their arrival in England, and Hampton himself lived only until 1 December 1869.
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