Sir Thomas Jackson, 1st Baronet, (; 1841 – 1915) was an Irish bank manager who was the third chief manager of

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (), commonly abbreviated as HSBC and formerly known as HongkongBank (; styled ''Wayfoong'' by the bank), is the Hong Kong–based Asia-Pacific subsidiary of the HSBC banking group, for whi ...

. He was responsible for financing the development of

colonial Hong Kong Hong Kong was under British rule from 1841 to 1997, except for a brief period of Japanese occupation during World War II from 1941 to 1945. It was a crown colony of the United Kingdom from 1841 to 1981, and a dependent territory from 1981 to ...

under the first large scale bank.

Early years

Sir Thomas Jackson was born on 4 June 1841 in

Carrigallen Carrigallen () is a small village in County Leitrim, Ireland. It is on the R201 and R203 roads in the east of the county, 19 km west of Cavan town. , the village had a population of 387. The village is in a civil parish of the same name. ...

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim, County Leitr ...

, Ireland, the second of six sons of David and Elizabeth Jackson. He spent his childhood in

Crossmaglen Crossmaglen (, ) is a village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,610 in the 2011 Census and is the largest village in South Armagh. The village centre is the site of a large Police Service of Northern Ir ...

County Armagh County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...

, and, in 1860, joined the Belfast Branch of the

Bank of Ireland Bank of Ireland Group plc () is a commercial bank operation in Ireland and one of the traditional Big Four Irish banks. Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the bank occupies a unique position in Irish banking history. At ...

. Jackson travelled to Hong Kong in 1864 to join the Agra and Masterbank. In 1864, the foundation of the Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation ("HSBC") building was being developed.Lim, Patricia (2002). ''Discovering Hong Hong's Cultural Heritage, Volume One''. Central, Hong Kong: Oxford University Press; . Jackson joined the bank in 1865, a year after its opening and served terms as accountant in Shanghai and then from 1870 to 1874 as manager in

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

Achievements

In 1876, after only ten years' service in the bank and at the early age of 35, Jackson was appointed the chief manager of HSBC. He held this title, the most senior executive position in the bank, with only short breaks, until 1902. Between April 1886 and September 1887, and again for a year in 1889, and between 1891 and 1893, he relinquished the role to return to the United Kingdom where he took charge of the London office of the bank. Under his business leadership the bank became the premiere bank in Asia. His influence was such that he came to be called the bank's "Great Architect".Collis (1965), p. 142 Brilliant, though also cautious, he also had the nickname "Lucky Jackson", which probably reflected more his innate intuition as when to act quickly and boldly. It was announced that he would receive a

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in the

1902 Coronation Honours The 1902 Coronation Honours were announced on 26 June 1902, the date originally set for the coronation of King Edward VII. The coronation was postponed because the King had been taken ill two days before, but he ordered that the honours list shou ...

list published on 26 June 1902 for the (subsequently postponed) coronation of

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

, and, on 24 July 1902, he was created a Baronet, of Stansted House, in the parish of Stansted, in the county of Essex. This entitled him to use the prenominal "Sir" combined with the postnominal abbreviation of "Bart.", which in modern-day usage is further abbreviated to "Bt."

Legacy

In recognition of his services to the bank and Hong Kong, in February 1906 a statue of Jackson was unveiled in

Statue Square Statue Square ( zh, t=皇后像廣場; lit. "Empress' Statue Square") is a public pedestrian square in Central, Hong Kong. Built entirely on reclaimed land at the end of the 19th century, Statue Square consists of two parts separated by ...

in front of the bank's Hong Kong premises by the colony's governor, Sir Matthew Nathan. The statue remains to this day.Lambcutlet.
Lambcutlet actual Statue Square box photo
". Retrieved 17 February 2007. Jackson is commemorated in his native Ireland in a stained glass window in Creggan Anglican church, County Armagh.

References

External links

Statue Square Area Photos

Family history of Sir Thomas Jackson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Sir Thomas Jackson, 1st Baronet 1841 births 1915 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Hong Kong bankers HSBC people British bankers British expatriates in Hong Kong Irish bankers Irish expatriates in Hong Kong Members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong Businesspeople from County Leitrim People from Crossmaglen 19th-century Irish businesspeople 19th-century British businesspeople People from Carrigallen Businesspeople from County Armagh