William Des Vœux

10th Governor of Hong Kong
The basics

Quick Facts

Intro10th Governor of Hong Kong
A.K.A.Sir William Des Vœux George William Des Vœux Sir George William Des Vœux
A.K.A.Sir William Des Vœux George William Des Vœux Sir George William Des Vœux
PlacesHong Kong
wasGovernor
Work fieldPolitics
Gender
Male
Birth22 September 1834, Baden-Baden
Death15 December 1909London (aged 75 years)
The details

Biography

Sir George William Des Vœux GCMG (22 September 1834 – 15 December 1909) was a British colonial governor who served as Governor of Fiji (1880–1885), Governor of Newfoundland (1886–1887), and Governor of Hong Kong (1887–1891).

Early life

Des Vœux was born on 22 September 1834 in Baden-Baden, Germany. He was of French descent – his ancestor Marin de Bacquencourt Des Vœux settled in Portarlington, Ireland, in the early 18th century, 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 after his father gave him the choice of finishing his degree and become a clergyman or seeking his fortune in the colonies.

Des Vœux then moved to Canada, where he finished his BA at the University of Toronto and became a barrister in Upper Canada in 1861.

Colonial services

Des Vœux (far right) in Guiana

Des Vœux became stipendiary magistrate and superintendent of rivers and creeks in British Guiana from 1863 to 1869, where he championed native causes. He reorganised 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. He was appointed Governor of Newfoundland from 1886–1887.

Based on his experience in British Guiana where he witnessed many instances of cruel and unjust treatment of indentured servants by plantation owners and managers, des Vœux wrote a 10,000-word report in 1869 to Lord Granville, the Secretary of State for the Colonies in which he detailed many abuses. When the contents of the report were published, there was a great outcry and a commission of inquiry was appointed, the Commission of Inquiry into the Treatment of Immigrants. Des Vœux gave testimony before the commission in Georgetown and its report led to many improvements in the workers' treatment.

Governor of Hong Kong

Des Vœux and his daughter (right) on sedan chairs in 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, in 1888, the Peak Tram began operation, providing relatively affordable transportation for people living on The Peak, an area he protected, together with effectively all the elevated areas of Hong Kong Island, from encroachment from crowded Chinese-style tenements by the enactment, in November of that year, of the European District Reservation Ordinance. A year before he left office, the newly established Hong Kong Electric Company began providing electricity to Hong Kong Island.

Post-governorship

After Des Vœux's time as Governor of Hong Kong ended, he entered retirement. He was created a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George 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 had to leave Balliol College before completing his degree because his father demanded that he join the church and threatened to cut off financial support for him if he did not.

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

  • Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, 1877
  • Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, 1883
  • Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George, 1893

Namesakes

  • Des Voeux Road, Hong Kong
  • Des Voeux Peak, second highest peak on Taveuni Island, Fiji

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