Sir Claud Severn ( Chinese Translated Name: 施勳) (1869–1933) was a British colonial administrator. Severn joined the colonial civil service in

British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ms, Tanah Melayu British) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. ...

in 1894 and worked under the

Governor of the Straits Settlements The governor of the Straits Settlements was appointed by the British East India Company until 1867, when the Straits Settlements became a Crown colony. Thereafter the governor was appointed by the Colonial Office. The position existed from 1826 ...

. In 1912, he became Colonial Secretary of

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

and remained in the post until 1925. During this period, Severn governed Hong Kong twice as acting administrator during transition periods between Governors.

Early life

Sir Claud Severn was born on 9 September 1869 in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...

, to Walter Severn (1830－1904) (at one time British Consul in Rome) and Mary Dalrymple Fergusson (1845-1916). His mother was the daughter of

Sir Charles Dalrymple Fergusson, 5th Baronet Sir Charles Dalrymple Fergusson, 5th Baronet of Kilkerran FRSE (1800–1849) was a Scottish lawyer. Life He was born at Fort George in Inverness-shire on 26 August 1800. He was the eldest son of Sir James Fergusson, 4th Baronet, fourth baron ...

. Severn went to

St Peter's College, Adelaide , other_name = The Collegiate School of St Peter , seal_image = St Peter's College, Adelaide Logo.svg , seal_size = 150 , image = SPSC chapel and memorial hall.jpg , image_size ...

and studied Latin and chemistry at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

."Severn, Sir Claud", ''Who Was Who'', London: A & C Black, 1996. He later graduated from

Selwyn College, Cambridge Selwyn College, Cambridge (formally Selwyn College in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Augustus Selwyn (18 ...

with a BA in 1890 and MA in 1913.

Colonial service

Having joined the Foreign Service in 1891 as a temporary library clerk, Severn was appointed, in 1894, private secretary to Sir Charles B H Mitchell, then Governor of the Straits Settlements. After a period of 17 years in the colonial administration of the Federated Malay States including four years as private secretary to Governor Sir

John Anderson John Anderson may refer to: Business *John Anderson (Scottish businessman) (1747–1820), Scottish merchant and founder of Fermoy, Ireland * John Byers Anderson (1817–1897), American educator, military officer and railroad executive, mentor of ...

, he was appointed Colonial Secretary in Hong Kong, leading the administration under Governor Sir Frederick Lugard. He was acting governor of Hong Kong for just over a year during a transition between governors from 1918 to 1919. It was 1918 when he entertained the visiting George Morrison, the highly influential Political Advisor to the President of the Chinese Republic, who related that the appointment of the "Buffoon of Hong Kong" was "one of the jokes of our time". In 1920, at 50, he married Margaret Annie Bullock, the daughter of

Thomas Lowndes Bullock Thomas Lowndes Bullock, FRS (27 September 1845 – 20 March 1915) was an English author, colonial administrator, academic and sinologist who served as Professor of Chinese at the University of Oxford. He was the father of diplomat and explorer ...

who from 1899 was Professor of Chinese at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, and they had two sons and a daughter. Both Severn and Governor Sir

Reginald Stubbs Sir Reginald Edward Stubbs (; 13 October 1876 – 7 December 1947) was a British colonial governor, who was once the Governor of Hong Kong. He caused controversy while Governor of Ceylon over the Bracegirdle Incident. Early life and educati ...

retired in 1925, victims of the

general strike A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large co ...

which all but destroyed Hong Kong that year and for which they were criticised by James Jamieson, British Consul General in Canton. Jamieson saw them as out of touch and out of date, unable to converse in Chinese and ignorant of republican China.

Later life

After his service in Hong Kong, Severn departed for

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

and died at the Old Rectory,

Ewelme Ewelme () is a village and civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in South Oxfordshire, north-east of the market town of Wallingford. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,048. To the east of the village is Cow Common and to the ...

, near

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, on 8 April 1933.

Memory

Severn Road, which is located on

Mount Gough Mount Gough () is a peak on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It lies directly east of Victoria Peak and rises to a height of above Admiralty. It is named for Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough, Commander-in-Chief of British Forces in China. See also *L ...

in Hong Kong, was named after him.

Honours

* CMG 1917 * KBE 1923

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Severn, Claud 1869 births 1933 deaths Alumni of Selwyn College, Cambridge Chief Secretaries of Hong Kong People from Adelaide Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire