(Redirected from George William Des Vœux)
'Sir George William Des Vœux',
GCMG (
Chinese Translated Name: 德輔) (
22 September 1834 -
15 December 1909) was a
British colonial governor who served as Governor of
Fiji (
1880-
1885),
Newfoundland and Labrador (
1886-
1887), and
Hong Kong (
1887-
1891).
Early life
Des Vœux was born on
22 September,
1834 in
Baden,
Germany. He was of French descent - his ancestor Marin de Bacquencourt Des Vœux settled in Portarlington, Ireland in the early 1700s, having come from Picardy in northern France. Des Vœux attended a public school in
London before starting his studies at
Charterhouse School and
Balliol College, Oxford, but left without a degree in
1856 and moved to
Canada, where he finished his
B.A. at the
University of Toronto and became a
barrister in
Upper Canada in
1861.
Colonial services
Des Vœux became stipendiary magistrate in
British Guiana from
1863 to
1869, where he championed for native causes. He reorganized and codified old French system of law when he was the Administrator and Colonial Secretary of
St. Lucia between
1869 and
1880. Afterwards, Des Vœux was appointed
Governor of
Fiji and
High Commissioner Western Pacific from
1880 to
1885. Then, he was appointed
Governor of Newfoundland from
1886-
1887
Governor of Hong Kong
In
1887, Des Vœux was appointed as the tenth
Governor of Hong Kong, a position he held until
1891. This would be the last post Des Vœux would hold in the Colonial Services. During his tenure,
Hongkong Electric Holdings was established, providing electricity supplies for Hong Kong Island. Also, the
Peak Tram began operation during this time, providing relatively affordable transportation for people living on
The Peak.
Post-Governorship
After Des Vœux's time as Governor of Hong Kong ended, he entered retirement. He was awarded a
GCMG in
1893. In
1903, he published his memoirs called ''My colonial service in British Guiana, St. Lucia, Trinidad, Fiji, Australia, Newfoundland and Hong Kong, with interludes''.
Personal life
Des Vœux married Marion Denison Pender (1856 - 1955), daughter of
John Pender, in
1875. They had five sons and three daughters, with three sons deceased. Des Vœux died in
London on
15 December,
1909.
Honours
★
C.M.G.,
1877
★
K.C.M.G.,
1883
★
G.C.M.G.,
1893
Places named after him
Des Voeux Road Central, located in Central District, and
Des Voeux Road West, located in the Western District in
Hong Kong Island were both named after him.
See also
★
History of Hong Kong
External links
★
Biography at Government House ''The Governorship of Newfoundland and Labrador''
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