Robert John Sholl, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Robert John Sholl

Australian magistrate

Date of Birth: 16-Jul-1819

Place of Birth: London

Date of Death: 19-Jun-1886

Profession: judge, postmaster, harbourmaster, magistrate, explorer

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Robert John Sholl (16 July 1819 – 19 June 1886) was a government administrator, magistrate, explorer, journalist, entrepreneur, harbourmaster, customs official, postmaster and lay reader in Western Australia (WA), during the colonial era.
Because of his multiple roles and significant political power, Sholl is regarded as a significant figure in the history of the region known later as the Pilbara, at an early stage of European settlement. Between 1865 and 1881, Sholl was the most senior government official and only judicial officer in North West Australia between the Murchison River and Timor Sea – a jurisdiction known at the time as the North District.
His headquarters at Roebourne was extremely isolated – messages took weeks to travel between Sholl and his immediate superior, Frederick Barlee, Colonial Secretary of Western Australia.
Consequently, Sholl wielded considerable, de facto executive power; an obituary in The West Australian described him as having been "virtually a Lieutenant Governor" of the North District.