Lieutenant Governor of Hong Kong

The Lieutenant Governor of Hong Kong held the second-highest position during the British colonial rule in Hong Kong from 1843 to 1902.

Lieutenant Governor of Hong Kong
Residence	Headquarter House
Appointer	Monarch of the United Kingdom
Formation	1843
First holder	George Charles D'Aguilar
Final holder	Sir William Gascoigne
Abolished	1902

Lieutenant Governor of Hong Kong
Traditional Chinese	香港副總督
Transcriptions Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Hēung góng fu júng dūk Jyutping Hoeng1 gong2 fu3 zung2 duk1

History

Although Lieutenant Governor of Hong Kong was the second-highest position in Hong Kong, the Lieutenant Governor did not have any actual power in the Government – that power usually was gained by the Colonial Secretary.

The first Lieutenant Governor of Hong Kong was George D'Aguilar and the post was subsequently held by the Commander British Forces in Hong Kong, thus all were British Army officers.[1]

List of Lieutenant Governors

British Hong Kong
№	Portrait	Name	Term of Office		Governor	Ref
			From	To
1		George D'Aguilar 德忌笠 Major General	1843	1848	Sir Henry Pottinger (1843–1844)
					Sir John Francis Davis (1843–1848)
2		William Staveley Major General	1848	1851	Sir George Bonham (1848–1854)
3		William Jervois Major General	1851	1854
4		Sir Robert Garrett Major General	1854	1857	Sir John Bowring (1854–1859)
5		Thomas Ashburnham Major General	1857	1858
6		Sir Charles van Straubenzee Major General	1858	1859
					Sir Hercules Robinson (1859–1865)
7		Sir James Grant Major General	1860	1861
8		Sir John Michel Major General	1861	1862
9		Sir Charles Staveley Major General	1862	1863
10		William Brown Major General	1863	1864
11		Sir Philip Guy Major General	1864	1867
					Sir Richard MacDonnell (1866–1872)
12		James Brunker Major General	1867	1869
Lieutenant Governor lapses from Formal Use; Second-in-command goes to Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong

Demise of the post

From the 1870s to 1902, the role lapsed from formal use and the second in command was transferred to the Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong (Chief Secretary from 1976 to 1997). The following individuals may (or may not) have retained the title for special occasions[2]

British Hong Kong
№	Portrait	Name	Term of Office		Governor	Ref
			From	To
1		Henry Whitfield 威非路 Major General	1869	1874	Sir Richard MacDonnell (1866–1872)
					Sir Arthur Kennedy (1872–1877)
2		Sir Francis Colborne Lieutenant General	1874	1878
					Sir John Pope Hennessy (1877–1882)
3		Edward Donovan Lieutenant General	1878	1882
4		John Sargent Lieutenant General	1882	1885
					Sir George Bowen (1883–1887)
5		Sir William Cameron 金馬倫 Lieutenant General	1885	1889
					Sir William Des Voeux (1887–1891)
6		Sir James Edwards Major General	1889	1890
7		Sir George Barker 白加 Major General	1890	1895
					Sir William Robinson (1891–1898)
8		Sir Wilsone Black 布力 Major General	1895	1898
9		Sir William Gascoigne Major General	1898	1902
					Sir Wilsone Black (1 February 1898 – 25 November 1898)
					Sir Henry Arthur Blake (1898–1903)

Residence

The Lieutenant Governor as Commander of British Forces resided at Flagstaff House, then known as Headquarter House, from 1844 to 1902.

See also

• Governor of Hong Kong
• History of Colonial Hong Kong (1800s – 1930s)

References

1. British and Indian armies on the China coast 1785–1985 by Harfield, A G, Published by A and J Partnership, 1990, pages 483–484 ISBN 0-9516065-0-6
2. "The Foundation of a Crown Colony – A Modern History of Hong Kong" Steve Tsang, 2004, pp 18–19