Louis Thomas Gunnis Leonowens (25 October 1856 – 17 February 1919) was a

British subject The term "British subject" has several different meanings depending on the time period. Before 1949, it referred to almost all subjects of the British Empire (including the United Kingdom, Dominions, and colonies, but excluding protectorates ...

who grew up and worked in Siam (

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

). He was the son of

Anna Leonowens Anna Harriette Leonowens (born Ann Hariett Emma Edwards; 5 November 1831 – 19 January 1915) was an Anglo-Indian or Indian-born British travel writer, educator, and social activist. She became well known with the publication of her memoirs, be ...

, famous as the English teacher hired by King

Mongkut Mongkut ( th, มงกุฏ; 18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth monarch of Siam (Thailand) under the House of Chakri, titled Rama IV. He ruled from 1851 to 1868. His full title in Thai was ''Phra Bat Somdet Phra Menthora Ramathibod ...

to teach his children. Leonowens later served as an officer with the Siamese Royal Cavalry and founded a Thai

trading company Trading companies are businesses working with different kinds of products which are sold for consumer, business, or government purposes. Trading companies buy a specialized range of products, maintain a stock or a shop, and deliver products to custo ...

that still bears his name, Louis T. Leonowens Ltd. He was the basis of a major character in the 1944 novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'', as well as other fictional works based on it.

Early life

Leonowens was the son of

''nee'' Edwards and Thomas Leon Owens. His mother, who would later become famous as the English governess to the royal Siamese children from portrayals in the 1944 fictionalized biographical novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' and its various adaptations including the 1951 musical ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childre ...

'', was actually born and grew up in India, probably of

Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian people fall into two different groups: those with mixed Indian and British ancestry, and people of British descent born or residing in India. The latter sense is now mainly historical, but confusions can arise. The ''Oxford English ...

ancestry. His father was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

-born, India-raised clerk; they married in 1849. The couple left India for

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, borde ...

, then part of the

Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Singapore for more than a century, it was originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Comp ...

, in 1852. Louis was born at

Lynton, Western Australia Lynton is a townsite in the Mid West region of Western Australia. It is part of a larger rural district known as Yallabatharra. Lynton is situated at the mouth of the Hutt River, 7.6 kilometres (4.7 miles) by road from Gregory – between the ...

, where his father was working for the

Commissariat A commissariat is a department or organization commanded by a commissary or by a corps of commissaries. In many countries, commissary is a police rank. In those countries, a commissariat is a police station commanded by a commissary. In some ar ...

. In 1857, the family moved to

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

, where his father was a hotel manager. His father died in 1859, and his mother moved to Singapore with Louis and his elder sister, telling the British expatriate community there that she was a genteel Welsh woman, the widow of a British army officer who had unfortunately lost her fortune.Loos, Tamara
"Review of ''Bombay Anna...''" by Susan Morgan
''Journal of Historical Biography'', vol 5 (Spring 2009), pp. 146–52 His mother's story was believed, and she was invited, in 1862, to teach the children of King

of Siam (now Thailand). After sending Louis's sister to England to get a British education, his mother took him to Bangkok. He was raised in Siam for nearly six years and was schooled by his mother alongside the royal children, until 1867, during which he become friends with Mongkut's son and heir Prince

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

. Louis was sent to Europe to complete his education. By 1874, he was in the United States with his mother, but he had accumulated debts. He fled the U.S. and was estranged from his mother for 19 years.

Career

In 1881, at the age of 25, he returned to Siam and was granted a commission of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the Royal Cavalry by Chulalongkorn. Leonowens in 1884 left the military and entered the

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicl ...

trade. He went on in 1905 to found the Louis Thomas Leonowens Company in Siam, which became Louis T. Leonowens Ltd, an international trading company. This company remained a leading exporter of Malayan

hardwoods Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

and an importer of building materials and general merchandise at least into the 1960s, and continues to do business as a marketing and distribution company. He became less involved in the operations of the company after 1906 and left Siam for the last time in 1913.

Personal life

Leonowens was married to: *Caroline Knox (1856–1893), the youngest daughter of Sir

Thomas George Knox Sir Thomas George Knox, KCMG (1824–1887) was an Irish soldier and a diplomat, serving as consul-general in Siam from 1868 to 1879. Life He was the eldest surviving son of James Spencer Knox, D.D. (1789–1862), rector of Maghera, County London ...

, British consul-general in Siam from 1868 to 1879, and his wife, Prang Yen, a Siamese noblewoman. They had one son, Thomas ("George") Knox Leonowens (1888–1953) and a daughter, Anna Harriett Leonowens (born 1890, Mrs Richard Monahan). *Reta May (1880–1936) married Leonowens in 1900. They had no children.W. S. Bristowe, ''Louis and the King of Siam'' (Chatto and Windus, 1976), p. 101 Leonowens died in 1919 during the global influenza pandemic. He is buried, with his second wife, in

Brompton Cemetery Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is a London cemetery, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Estab ...

, London.

Film and television portrayals

The young Louis Leonowens has been portrayed by numerous actors and as being from at least three different countries, including the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

: * Richard Lyon in '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1946); * Sandy Kennedy in the 1951 musical ''

'', Jeff B. Davis in its 1985 revival, Jake Lucas in its 2015 revival and Graham Montgomery is its 2017 Broadway National Tour; * Rex Thompson ( レックス・トンプソン) in the 1956 musical film version of ''

''; *

Eric Shea Eric Shea (born February 14, 1960) is an American actor. A professional child actor, active from age six through seventeen, he is best known for his roles in the blockbuster feature films '' Yours, Mine and Ours'' (1968) and '' The Poseidon Adven ...

in ''

Anna and the King ''Anna and the King'' is a 1999 American biographical period drama film directed by Andy Tennant and written by Steve Meerson and Peter Krikes. Loosely based on the 1944 novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'', which gives a fictionalized account ...

'' (1971); *

Tom Felton Thomas Andrew Felton (born 22 September 1987) is an English actor best known for playing Draco Malfoy in the film adaptations of the ''Harry Potter'' fantasy novels by J. K. Rowling. Born in Surrey, Felton began appearing in commercials and ...

in the film ''

'', starring

Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and the ho ...

(1999); and *

Adam Wylie Adam Augustus Wylie (born May 23, 1984) is an American actor, magician and a former Crayola spokesman. Wylie is known most for playing Zack Brock, the youngest son of Doctor and Sheriff Brock's children, on ''Picket Fences'' from 1992 to 1996. Ea ...

(voice) in the animated film ''

'' (1999).

Notes

External links

Louis T. Leonowens, Ltd.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonowens, Louis T. 1856 births 1919 deaths Burials at Brompton Cemetery Anglo-Indian people Deaths from Spanish flu People from Lynton, Western Australia British expatriates in Thailand Expatriates in the Rattanakosin Kingdom