Hugh Low

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Hugh Low
Hugh Low

Hugh Low
In office
1877 – 1889
Preceded by James G. Davidson
Succeeded by Frank A. Swettenham
Born May 10, 1824(1824-05-10)
Clapton, United Kingdom
Died April 18, 1905 (aged 80)
Alassio, Italy
Spouse Catherine Napier
Religion Christian

Hugh Low (May 10, 1824 - April 18, 1905) was a British colonial administrator and naturalist.

[edit] Career

Low was born in Clapton, England, the son of a Scottish horticulturist. At an early age, he acquired botanical expertise working in the family nursery. At 20, his father sent him on a collecting expedition to South East Asia. He based himself in Singapore and concentrated particularly on the Borneo flora. While in Singapore, Low came in contact with the nephew of Sir James Brooke, the White Rajah of Sarawak. In the months following he became an interior of Sarawak. In 1847, Brooke was appointed Governor of the recently established British colony of Labuan and Consul General of Borneo. He gave Low the post of Colonial Secretary. In 1848, Low returned to Far East, meeting and marrying on the way Catherine Napier, daughter of Colonel William Napier, newly appointed as Lt. Governor of Labuan. In Labuan Low acquired administrative experience, fluency in Malay and an enduring reputation as a naturalist. It was also from Labuan he made his three visits to Mount Kinabalu, the first in March 1851 and twice with Spenser St. John, the consul General of Brunei, in 1858.

In April 1877, Low was transferred to the Malay Peninsula and became the Resident of Perak. By the terms of the Pangkor Treaty, the Resident was an adviser whose decision were binding in all matters except for custom or religion. The first Resident had been murdered in 1874, precipitating a war that left nearly all high-ranking Malay officials either dead or in exile. Low's appointment marks a return to civil authority.

In his 12 years in Perak, Low firmly established a peaceful administration. He created a state council that included the principal Malay, Chinese and British leaders and was notably successful in making use of prominent local leaders at most levels of his administration.

For example he cultivated the friendship of Kapitan China Chung Keng Quee who was his confidant and his means of getting other Chinese miners in Perak to use modern British mining equipment by first having Ah Quee experiment with them so all could see the results to be benefitted from. So close was this relationship that when Ah Quee was done an injustice through an article published in Harpers Magazine in 1891, Sir hugh felt compelled to write in and set the record straight.

Apart from his administrative achievements, Low was also involved in the experimental planting and research on commercial tropical crops including rubber, coffee, black pepper and tea. Low also helped set up the Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. For his contributions to the British Empire he was honored with the CMG in 1879, the KCMG in 1883 and the GCMG in 1889. He is often considered the first successful British administrator in the Malay Peninsula, whose methods became models for subsequent British colonial operation in the entire South East Asia Region.

Low died on April 18, 1905 in Alassio, Italy.

The tropical pitcher plant species Nepenthes lowii and the slipper orchid Paphiopedilum lowii are named after him.

[edit] External links

Political offices
Preceded by
James G. Davidson		 British Resident of Perak
1877 – 1889		 Succeeded by
Frank A. Swettenham

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