Susan Harriet Sophia Baxter (9 December 1828 – 30 June 1865), also known as 白思德 in the Chinese community, was a British missionary and educator in Hong Kong. Susan was the third child born to Joanna and Robert Baxter. A parliamentary solicitor of

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

and a man of strong religious convictions, Robert's evangelical zeal made an impact on the first two bishops of Victoria (Hong Kong), George Smith and Charles Alford when they served in

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

in the 1840s and 1850s respectively. Influenced by her father, Susan became a missionary to China. Around 1860,

Lydia Smith ''Hollyoaks'' is a British television soap opera that was first broadcast on 23 October 1995. The following is a list of characters that first appear in the show in 2021, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's e ...

, the Bishop's wife who was a member of the Society for Promoting Female Education (FES), planned to set up a

Diocesan Native Female Training School Diocesan Native Female Training School (DNFTS, ) was a school under the Anglican Church of Hong Kong in the 19th century, founded in 1860 and closed down in 1868. Its premises now belong to today's Bonham Road Government Primary School(). In 1869, ...

in Hong Kong and appealed for teachers to serve there. Susan responded to the call and left for Hong Kong in April 1860. On arrival she learnt that the local ladies' committee had already appointed a teacher to the position she hoped to fill, so she set up several schools herself, which included: *an English school in Mosque Street for European children of soldiers and abandoned Eurasian orphans; *a Chinese girls' day school in

Staunton Street Staunton Street () is a street in Central and Sheung Wan, on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Together with the upper section of Elgin Street, it is the heart of the Soho entertainment area, featuring a number of restaurants, bars and shops. It w ...

; *a girls' boarding school with day school for boys in her house on

Bonham Road Bonham Road is a main road in West Mid-Levels, Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, running mainly East-West. The road connects Pok Fu Lam Road in the west, near the University of Hong Kong, and Caine Road in the east, at the junction with Hospital ...

. In school she did more than teach: she clothed, fed, and buried the dead, and regularly visited soldiers' wives with Mrs. Smith and offered help to the needy in Hong Kong and Canton. She was respected and beloved by both the Chinese and Europeans, according to Bishop Smith. In June 1865, Susan was struck down by fever and died within two weeks, at the age of 36. Her family continued to support girls' education in Hong Kong through FES for two more decades. The schools she opened, known as Baxter Vernacular Schools, flourished until 1899, when the FES handed over its work to the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...

; they were then renamed CMS Day Schools. Susan was never married. She was buried in

Hong Kong Cemetery Hong Kong Cemetery, formerly Hong Kong (Happy Valley) Cemetery and before that Hong Kong Colonial Cemetery, is one of the early Christian cemeteries in Hong Kong dating to its colonial era beginning in 1845. It is located beside the racecourse ...

References

*Dictionary of Hong Kong Biography, Edited by May Holdsworth and Christopher Munn, HKU Press, 2012
List of Burials ordered by Name
Patricia Lim {{DEFAULTSORT:Baxter, Susan Harriet Sophia Hong Kong philanthropists Hong Kong educators 1828 births 1865 deaths Hong Kong Anglicans Hong Kong expatriates in the United Kingdom 19th-century British philanthropists 19th-century Hong Kong people

See also

References