John Gardiner Austin
John Gardiner Austin, CMG (Chinese: 柯士甸) was a British colonial administrator. He was Lieutenant-Governor of British Honduras 1864–1867, and Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong from 1868 to 1879, acting as Administrator (acting Governor) of the colony in 1877.
Background and early life
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Career
Austin was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of British Honduras in February 1864,[1] and served for two years until 1867.
In 1868 he was appointed Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong,[2] serving as such until 1879. He was also Auditor General of the colony from 1870 to 1879,[3] and Administrator (acting Governor) from March to April 1877. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in March 1876, for his services in Hong Kong.[4]
By 1901 Austin had moved to Barbados, where he was in September 1901 appointed a Member of the Legislative council.[5]
Family
Austin was the father of :
- Mehetabel Percy Austin (29 Feb 1840, died after 1940), who married in 1862 Axel Dickson (1826-1899), a member of the Swedish parliament of Scottish origin. She was one of few people born on a leap day to celebrate a centennial.[6]
Legacy
Mount Austin on Hong Kong Island, Austin Road and Austin Avenue in Kowloon were named after him. The Austin Station of the MTR was so-named due to its proximity to Austin Road West, and the naming may be more influenced by geographical convenience rather than any direct link to Austin himself.
References
- ^ "No. 22814". The London Gazette. 2 February 1864.
- ^ "No. 23353". The London Gazette. 18 February 1868.
- ^ Audit Commission: Directors of Audit to date
- ^ "No. 24305". The London Gazette. 14 March 1876.
- ^ "No. 27357". The London Gazette. 20 September 1901.
- ^ "Leap year centenarian". The Times. No. 48552. London. 29 February 1940. p. 11. template uses deprecated parameter(s) (help)
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