McCallum attended the
Royal Military College in
Woolwich and began his colonial service career in 1874. He was Colonial Engineer for the Straits Settlements based in Singapore and played a key role in introducing
electricity to
Singapore in 1892. However he was involved in a public spat with
James MacRitchie the Municipal Engineer who recommended against the introduction of electricity. He was governor of
Lagos Colony from 1897 to 1899 before coming to
Newfoundland in 1899. The friction between McCallum and Prime Minister
Robert Bond resulted in his recall in early 1901. McCallum then became governor of
Natal in February 1901, arriving in his new province in May to take up residence in
Pietermaritzburg. His tenure in Natal included the last year of the
Second Boer War, with guerrilla fighting in neighbouring
Transvaal and
Orange River Colony. On the conclusion of this war in June 1902, parts of Transvaal was transferred to Natal, increasing the colony by about one-fourth. The period following the war was succeeded by commercial depression, though in Natal it was not so severely felt as in other states of South Africa. The government of Natal met the crisis by renewed energy in harbour works, railway constructions and the development of the natural resources of the country. Politics in the colony was unsettled, however, and his tenure saw several changes of government. McCallum was the host when in December 1902 the British
Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain visited the colony. McCallum′s last appointment came as governor of
Ceylon in 1907. He retired from colonial service in 1913 and returned to England. The isolated
outport of
McCallum on the
southern coast of the island of
Newfoundland is named for Henry McCallum. == Legacy ==