Sir John Frederick Dickson (17 September 1835 – 21 December 1891), was a British colonial administrator in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

. He was also President of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society from 1886 to 1891. He translated and edited th
''Upasampadā-kammavācā''
and the Patimokkha.

Education

Dickson graduated from

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

and then Christ Church, Oxford with B.A. in 1859 and M.A. in 1873.

Career

Dickson entered the Ceylon Civil Service as a writer on 28 February 1859 and served in Ceylon until 1885, including a position as the Central Provincial Government Agent. He arrived in Singapore in 1885 to receive instruction on becoming the new Colonial Secretary in Singapore, which he served until 1891. In 1885 Dickson formally took office in Singapore as Colonial Secretary in the Straits Settlements, as the successor to

Cecil Clementi Smith Sir Cecil Clementi Smith (23 December 1840 – 6 February 1916),. was a British colonial administrator. Background The son of an Essex rector, John Smith, and his wife Cecilia Susanna Clementi (daughter of Muzio Clementi), Cecil Clementi Smit ...

, who resigned as Colonial Secretary to accept a promotion to

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 ...

and High Commissioner to Malaya. For three separate occasions in 1887, 1889 and 1890, he performed administrative duties for governors during their absence. As Colonial Secretary, he instructed the Public Works Department to maintain the historical inscriptions, granite stones, and brick works in the cemetery on

Government Hill The Government Hill is a hill in Central, Hong Kong, bounded by upper section of Upper Albert Road on the south, Queen's Road Central north, Garden Road east, and Glenealy, west of Hong Kong Island. The hill has been the administrative ...

Death

Dickson died in 1891 in

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Padd ...

Family

J. Frederick Dickson was twice married. He was married to his first wife from 1859 until her death in 1866. His second wife was Emily, Lady Dickson, née Emily Ayton Lee (christened on 2 September 1842, married in 1875 in Kensington and died on 10 October 1924).

Honours

Dickson was made C.M.G. in 1883 and K.C.M.G. in 1888. The resort town of

Port Dickson Port Dickson (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Podeksen'', Jawi: ) is a beach resort in Port Dickson District, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. It is the second largest urban area in Negeri Sembilan after Seremban, its state capital. The town's admin ...

, Negeri Sembilan,

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

(locally known as PD) is named in his honour.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dickson, John Frederick 1835 births 1891 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Colonial Administrative Service officers Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George People educated at Westminster School, London People from British Ceylon People from British Singapore Chief Secretaries of Singapore Administrators in British Singapore