William Caine (17 March 1799 – 19 September 1871) was the first head of the Hong Kong Police Force (1841–1844 as Chief Magistrate), 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 city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

from 1846 to 1854. He attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel prior to his secretary appointment. Caine was also the acting

Governor of Hong Kong The governor of Hong Kong was the representative of the British Crown in Hong Kong from 1843 to 1997. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council and commander-in-chief of the British Forces Overseas Hong Kong. ...

between May and September 1859.

Biography

Captain Caine was born in

Maynooth Maynooth (; ga, Maigh Nuad) is a university town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to Maynooth University (part of the National University of Ireland and also known as the National University of Ireland, Maynooth) and St Patrick's ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, on 17 March 1799. He served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

's 26th (Cameronian) Regiment of Foot during the Peninsular War against Napoleon in Spain. His regiment was later transferred to Hong Kong and he began his long association with the colony. Caine was Chief Magistrate, the head of pre-

Hong Kong Police Force The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest disciplined service under the Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Police Force (RHKPF) reverted to its former name after the t ...

from 1841 to 1844. The then Major Caine was appointed Colonial Secretary and

Auditor General An auditor general, also known in some countries as a comptroller general or comptroller and auditor general, is a senior civil servant charged with improving government accountability by auditing and reporting on the government's operations. Freq ...

from 1846 to 1854. His role was considerably diminished after the arrival in 1849 of the new governor Sir John Bowring who stamped his authority on Hong Kong after his power struggle with Caine went all the way to the Colonial Office for resolution. He was the Colonial Secretary of

from 1854 to 1859. He was the acting

between May and September 1859. Caine was party to a long-running feud with

William Tarrant William Tarrant (died 26 January 1872; ) was a civil servant and newspaper editor in British Hong Kong. He served as Inspector of Land and Roads and subsequently Registrar of Deeds in the Hong Kong colonial administration from 1842 to 1847, but was ...

, who, as Registrar of Deeds in 1847, accused Caine of permitting his comprador to extort vendors in

Central Market Central Market may refer to: *Central Market, a 2009 album by Tyondai Braxton Fresh food markets * Adelaide Central Market, Australia * Cardiff Central Market, Wales *Central Market, Hong Kong * Central Market, Casablanca, Morocco * Riga Central ...

and siphon prostitutes tax into private pocket. An internal government inquiry held Tarrant's claim to be baseless, and Tarrant was sacked from the civil service and effectively barred from future re-employment. Tarrant then became a journalist and after purchasing the '' Friend of China'' newspaper in 1850 repeatedly attacked Caine in its pages until the latter sued Tarrant for libel in 1859, as a result of which Tarrant was sentenced to prison. Caine had four sons: *George Whittingham Caine (1832 – 31 January 1874 in Shanghai); a junior clerk in the Plenipotentiary's Department in 1855. *William Hull Caine *Henry Monteith Caine *Charles Henry Fearon Caine Caine retired and left Hong Kong in 1859. He died on 19 September 1871 in Granville Park, Blackheath, England.

Namesakes

Caine Road Caine Road is a road running through Mid-Levels, Hong Kong. It connects Bonham Road to the west (at the junction with Hospital Road and Seymour Road), and Arbuthnot Road, Glenealy and Upper Albert Road to the east. The road is named after Wi ...

, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong *Caine House, a 29-floor L-shaped building, part of the

Hong Kong Police Headquarters The Hong Kong Police Headquarters () or HKPHQ are located at 1 Arsenal Street, Wan Chai, on Hong Kong Island. It is the headquarters of the Hong Kong Police Force. The headquarters complex comprises several buildings, including Arsenal House (incl ...

, was built in 1987.

Biography

Namesakes

References

Further reading