Oliver Marks (10 September 1866 – 24 May 1940) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

first-class

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er and colonial administrator.

Life

The son of John George Marks, and nephew of

Henry Stacy Marks Henry Stacy Marks (13 September 1829 – 9 January 1898) was a British artist who took a particular interest in Shakespearean and medieval themes in his early career and later in decorative art depicting birds and ornithologists as well as lan ...

and Frederick Walker, he was born in September 1866 in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, in Thornton Heath or Beddington. He was educated at

Whitgift School ("He who perseveres, conquers") , established = , closed = , type = Independent school , religious_affiliation = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head Master , head = Christopher Ramsey , c ...

. After leaving Whitgift School, Marks went to

British Ceylon British Ceylon ( si, බ්‍රිතාන්‍ය ලංකාව, Britānya Laṃkāva; ta, பிரித்தானிய இலங்கை, Biritthāṉiya Ilaṅkai) was the British Crown colony of present-day Sri Lanka between ...

, where he was a tea planter from 1887 to 1891. From there he went to

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. U ...

, where he was the superintendent of a Malayan government plantation in

Perak Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand's ...

. He joined the administrative service in 1894, holding several posts before briefly being appointed British Resident at

Negeri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan'') is a state in Malaysia which lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the s ...

. He was an assistant magistrate until 1896, after which he was an Assistant Secretary to the government in Perak, a post he held until 1898. From 1898 to 1903, he was Assistant Secretary to the Resident General in the

Federated Malay States )Under God's Protection , capital = Kuala Lumpur1 , religion = Islam , legislature = Federal Legislative Council , type_house1 = State level , common_languages = , title_leader = Monarch , leader1 ...

, after which he served as both the Secretary to High Commissioners for Malaya and Private Secretary to the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

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 ...

. By 1914, he was Acting Resident of Perak, with his duties including laying the foundation stone of St. George's Institution, Taiping. By the 1920s, Marks was the British Resident in

Selangor Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...

. He was made a Companion of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

for his colonial service in the

1922 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1922 were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were published on 30 December 1921. The recipients of honours are displayed here ...

. In later life Marks was secretary of the British Malaya Association, He died in England, at Brompton in May 1940. His brother, Geoffrey, was also a first-class cricketer.

Cricketer

A keen cricketer, Marks played minor matches for

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

in 1890 and 1891. On a visit to England in 1901, Marks made a single appearance in

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

for the

Marylebone Cricket Club Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...

(MCC) against London County at Crystal Palace. Batting once in the MCC's only innings, he was dismissed for a single run by

W. G. Grace William Gilbert Grace (18 July 1848 – 23 October 1915) was an English Amateur status in first-class cricket, amateur cricketer who was important in the development of the sport and is widely considered one of its greatest players. He played ...

. In London County's only innings, he bowled nine wicketless overs.

Family

Marks married in 1905 Violet Catherine Murray, daughter of Colonel Alexander Murray (1850–1910), the Colonial Engineer and Surveyor of Malaya. They had a son, Geoffrey Noel Marks.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marks, Oliver 1866 births 1940 deaths People from Thornton Heath Sportspeople from the London Borough of Croydon People educated at Whitgift School Sri Lankan tea Administrators in British Malaya English cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George People from British Ceylon Planters of British Ceylon