William Denison

Sir William Denison KCB
Sir William Denison, Sydney, 1859
7th Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land
In office 25 January 1847 – 8 January 1855
Preceded by	Sir John Eardley-Wilmot
Succeeded by	Sir Henry Young
11th Governor of New South Wales
In office 13 January 1855 – 21 January 1861
Monarch	Victoria
Premier	Stuart Donaldson
Preceded by	Sir Charles FitzRoy
Succeeded by	Sir John Young
27th Governor of Madras
In office 1861–1866
Preceded by	William Ambrose Morehead
Succeeded by	The Lord Napier
Personal details
Born	(1804-05-03)3 May 1804 London, England
Died	19 January 1871(1871-01-19) (aged 66) East Sheen, Surrey, England
Spouse	Caroline Hornby
Education	Eton College
Alma mater	Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

Sir William Thomas Denison KCB (3 May 1804 – 19 January 1871) was Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land from 1847 to 1855, Governor of New South Wales from 1855 to 1861, and Governor of Madras from 1861 to 1866.

According to Percival Serle, Denison was a man of high character and a good administrator. In his early days in Tasmania he spoke too frankly about the colonists in communications which he regarded as confidential, and this accentuated the feeling against him as a representative of the colonial office during the anti-transportation and responsible government movements. He showed great interest in the life of the colony, and helped to foster education, science and trade, during the period when Tasmania was developing into a prosperous colony. In New South Wales his task was easier, and he had no difficulty in coping adequately with the problems that arose during the early days of responsible government in Australia.^[1]