John Keane, 1st Baron Keane

Lieutenant General John Keane, 1st Baron Keane GCB GCH (6 February 1781 – 24 August 1844) was an Irish soldier in the British Army.[1]

John Keane, 1st Baron Keane
Born6 February 1781 (1781-02-06)
Died24 August 1844 (1844-08-25) (aged 63)
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
RankLieutenant General
Commands heldBombay Army
Battles/warsPeninsular War
First Anglo-Afghan War
Anglo Marri war
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order

Background

Keane was born in Belmont,[2] Ireland, the second son of Sir John Keane, 1st Baronet.[1] He joined the British Army as an Ensign at age 11 in 1792. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the 60th Foot and commanded a brigade in the Peninsular War.[1] For his services there, he was awarded the Army Gold Cross with two clasps for Martinique, Vitoria, the Pyrenees, Nivelle, the Nive, and Toulouse.[1] Promoted to Major-General, Keane commanded the British 3rd brigade at the Battle of New Orleans where he was wounded twice.[1] He served as commander-in-chief in the West Indies and also administered the colonial government of Jamaica.[1]

Actions

Lieutenant-General Keane served as Commander-in-Chief of the Bombay Army from 1834 to 1840 and commanded the combined British and British Indian army ("The Army of the Indus") during the opening campaign of the First Anglo-Afghan War and first Anglo Marri war. In February 1839, his forces seized Karachi.[3] He commanded the victorious British and Indian army at the Battle of Ghazni on 23 July 1839. For his service, he was elevated to the peerage as Baron Keane, of Ghuznee and of Cappoquin in the County of Waterford on 23 December 1839.[4][5]

Personal life

John Keane married twice, firstly to Grace Smith, daughter of Lieutenant General Sir John Smith, whom he married in 1806, then secondly to Charlotte Maria Boland, the daughter of a Colonel Boland in 1840. From his marriage with Grace Smith the couple had six children:[6]

  • Edward Arthur Wellington Keane (1815–1882), 2nd Baron Keane
  • John Manly Arbuthnot Keane (1816–1901, 3rd Baron Keane
  • George Disney Keane (26 September 1817 – 19 October 1891), married Katherine Mary McLeod on 13 July 1881
  • Hussey Fane Keane (14 June 1822 – 26 October 1895), married Isabella Emma Elizabeth, daughter of the 5th Earl of Orkney on 11 January 1886
  • Charlotte Amelia Keane (d. 22 June 1859)
  • Georgiana Isabella Keane (d. 14 April 1854), married W.H. Penrose

Lord Keane died at Burton Lodge, Hampshire, England, on 24 August 1844.[1]

See also

References

  1. "John Keane". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  2. Anon. www.buildingsofireland.ie http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=WA&regno=22810098. Retrieved January 2018. Check date values in: |access-date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. Gorman, James Thomas; Edwardes, Sir Stanley de Burgh (1933). 2nd battalion 4th Bombay grenadiers (King Edward's own) formerly the 102nd King Edward's own grenadiers: historical record of the regiment, 1796-1933. Printed by Lawrence Bros., Ltd.
  4. "No. 19805". The London Gazette. 20 December 1839. p. 2655.
  5. "John Keane, Baron Keane of Ghuznee and Cappoquin". Family Search. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  6. Lundy, Darryl. "Person Page - 23550". thepeerage.com. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
Government offices
Preceded by
Edward O'Hara
Governor of Saint Lucia
1818–1819
Succeeded by
John Joseph Winkler
Preceded by
The Duke of Manchester
Governor of Jamaica
(acting)

1827–1829
Succeeded by
The Earl of Belmore
Military offices
Preceded by
Sir Colin Halkett
C-in-C, Bombay Army
18341840
Succeeded by
Sir Thomas McMahon
Preceded by
Sir Henry Warde
Colonel of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)
1831–1838
Succeeded by
Sir William Johnston
Preceded by
Henry Wynyard
Colonel of the 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot
1838–1839
Succeeded by
John Ross
Preceded by
John Cradock, 1st Baron Howden
Colonel of the 43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)
1839–1844
Succeeded by
Sir Hercules Robert Pakenham
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation Baron Keane
1839–1844
Succeeded by
Edward Arthur Wellington Keane
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