'Sir John Francis Davis, 1st Baronet'
KCB (
Chinese Translated Name: 戴ç¶æ–¯ or the obsolete term çˆ¹æ ¸å£«) (
1795 -
1890) was a
British diplomat ,
Sinologist, and the 2nd Governor of
Hong Kong. He was the son of
Samuel Davis.
Early career
John Davis was appointed writer in
East India Company's factory at
Canton in
1813. Because of his linguistic abilities, he was chosen to accompany
Lord Amherst on his embassy to
Peking in
1816.
On the return of the mission, Davis again took up his duties in the factory at Canton, and was promoted to be president in
1832. He was appointed the joint commissioner in China with
Lord Napier in
1834.
Governor of Hong Kong
In
1844, Davis became British plenipotentiary and chief superintendent of British trade in China, and governor and commander-in-chief of the colony of
Hong Kong, until
1848.
On
8th May 1844, he was appointed to be the governor of Hong Kong.
On
16th July 1844, his home was robbed.
During his tenure, Davis was very much hated amongst Hong Kong residents and British merchants during his administration because of the establishment of various taxes, which increased the burden of all citizens, and his abrasive treatment of his subordinates. On a much lighter note, weekend racing began during his tenure, which gradually evolved as a Hong Kong institution.
Also, during his tenure, Davis organized the first
Hong Kong Census, and it indicated that at that time, there were 23,988 people living in Hong Kong.
On
21st March 1848, his row with the local British merchants increased, and Davis resigned his commission and left Hong Kong. He died in
1890.
Awards and Honours
★
Baronet,
1845
★
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath,
1854
★
Doctor of Civil Law,
Oxford University,
1876
Works He Published
★ ''The Chinese : a general description of the empire of China and its inhabitants''
★ ''China, during the war and since the peace''
Places Named After Him
Mount Davis, as well as
Mount Davis Path,
Mount Davis Road, and
Davis Street in Hong Kong were all named after him.
See also
★
History of Hong Kong
External links
★
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