The Earl of Kintore 

(1889 - 1895)

The Earl of Kintore - Sir Algernon Hawkins Thomond Keith-Falconer, was born on 12th August 1852 at Sixmount House, Edinburgh.   Eldest son of Francis Alexander, 8th Earl of Kintore and his wife Louisa Madeleine, nee Hawkins. He was educated at Eton and Trinity College Cambridge. On the 14th of August 1873 he married Lady Sydney Charlotte Montagu, second daughter of George 6th Earl of Manchester. He succeeded his father as Earl in 1880 and was appointed to court and other offices considered appropriate to a member of nobility.

In 1889 Kintore was appointed G.C.M.G and Governor of South Australia. He arrived with his family at Adelaide on the 11th of April in the Orient and was formally welcomed by the administrator, Chief Justice Samuel Way; the popular festivities lasted the whole day.

Kintore took a deep interest in the colony under his charge, and travelled it more extensively than any other governor before him. His aim was to "learn what the continent was like, and to satisfy the curiosity of the Imperial Government as to the condition and prospects of the wide tract of country". In 1891 he decided to cross the continent - he travelled to Brisbane, and onto Port Darwin, accompanied by Dr E.C. Stirling, a telegraph operator , five other white men and three aboriginals. They left Darwin on the 9th of April, following the overland telegraph route through Katherine, Daly Waters, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, then onto Oodnadatta where he boarded a train, reaching Adelaide on the 23rd of May. His journey was reported in the newspaper and aroused popular enthusiasm.

During his term of office Kintore was faced with many problems; on his arrival in the colony it was emerging from a severe depression, the ending of the boom in the Eastern colonies, trouble with miners in Moonta in 1890, and the Broken Hill strike in 1892 delayed South Australia's recovery.

He had to deal with 5 changes of ministry before Kingston succeeded in June 1893 forming a government which lasted to December 1899. Kintore who had always been impartial faced trouble when he appointed Way Lieut-Governor without consulting the Premier, Kintore resigned in 1895 and left Adelaide on the 10th of April.

Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton 

( 1895 - 1898)

Thomas Fowell Buxton was born on the 26th of January, 1837 at West Ham Essex, England, eldest son of Sir Edward North Buxton, second baronet of Warlies Essex and Colne House, Cromer, Norfolk and his wife Catherine, nee Gurney. He was educated at Harrow School and Trinity College Cambridge. In 1858 he succeeded his father apart from the baronetcy, he also inherited landed interests and a partnership in the brewing firm of Truman, Hanbury, Buxton & Co, where he worked until 1889. On the 12th of June 1862, Buxton married Lady Victoria Noel, they had 13 children with 10 surviving infancy.

Buxton accepted the Governorship of South Australia in 1895, after and anxious and prayful reflection. Like Kintore before him he faced many problems, the main one being the Premier C.C. Kingston, who had requested that local government should be more involved in the choice of Governor. Kingston was infuriated by the Imperial Governments nomination and set about making the incoming Governor's position most unattractive in the hope he would withdraw his acceptance. Kingston's government abolished the vice-regal expense allowance and demanded that subordinate posts be filled locally, they reduced the Governor's salary by £1000.

Buxton refused to withdraw and arrived in Adelaide on the 29th of October 1895. Kingston applied many petty economies on the new Governor including charging him customs duty on his wife's invalid carriage, Lady Victoria was crippled by a spinal condition in 1869. Buxton's gentle and unassuming friendliness disarmed all radical critics. Kingston finally admitted that Buxton was the most genial, sociable and common-sense Governor to inhabit Adelaide's Vice Regal mansion.

During his time as Governor he regularly visited with inmates of Gaols, the Home for Incurables (Julia Farr Centre), the lunatic asylum and destitute refuges.  He met with Aboriginals and was genuinely interested in their culture. The Buxton's also worked tirelessly to simulate Adelaide's musical, religious, educational and charitable organizations. They both served on numerous committees and donated large sums of money to drought victims. Lady Victoria was the first president of the Church of England Mothers' Union in Adelaide and founded several working-girls clubs.

They brought Government House nearer to the people than ever before. They held regular Garden Parties for State School Teachers, members of the Police Force, for Nurses, and Market Gardeners, Anglican Sunday School Teachers and all their respective families.