| Lieutenant-general Sir Henry Pottinger, Bt GCB, PC |
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|---|---|
| Administrator of Hong Kong | |
| In office 1841–1843 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | Sir Charles Elliot |
| Governor of Hong Kong | |
| In office 26 June 1843 – 8 May 1844 |
|
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Succeeded by | Sir John Francis Davis |
| Governor of the Cape Colony | |
| In office 1847–1847 |
|
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | Sir Peregrine Maitland |
| Succeeded by | Sir Harry Smith, Bt |
| Governor of Madras | |
| In office 1848–1854 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | The Marquess of Tweeddale |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Harris |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 October 1789 County Down, Unied Kingdom |
| Died | 18 March 1856 (aged 66) British Malta |
| Spouse(s) | Susanna Maria Cooke |
| Alma mater | Belfast Academy |
| Signature | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Bombay Army |
| Years of service | 1804-1856 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-general |
| Battles/wars | Third Anglo-Maratha War First Opium War |
Lieutenant-general Sir Henry Pottinger, 1st Baronet, GCB, PC (Chinese: 砵甸乍; 3 October 1789 – 18 March 1856) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and colonial administrator, who became the first Governor of Hong Kong.
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Henry Pottinger was born in County Down, United Kingdom, in 1789. He was the fifth son of Eldred Curwen Pottinger, esq. of Mount Pottinger, County Down, and his wife Anne, who was the daughter of Robert Gordon, esq. of Florida House in the same county. They had three daughters and eight sons.[1][2][3] Eldred Pottinger was his nephew.[4] Henry studied at the Belfast Academy, today known as Belfast Royal Academy.
In 1804, he went to India to serve in the army and explored the lands between the Indus and Persia, travelling in disguise as a Muslim merchant and studying local languages, under the orders of Sir John Malcolm. In 1806, he joined the British East India Company and in 1809, he fought in the Mahratta war as a lieutenant then rising to the rank of colonel after his dangerous expedition from Nushki (Belujistan) to Isfahan (Central Persia). This expedition was funded by the West-Indian Company to map and research hitherto unstudied regions of Belujistan and Persia because of concerns about India being invaded by Fench forces. Pottinger later became Resident Administrator of Sindh in 1820. He later held the same post in Hyderabad.
In 1820, he married Susanna Maria Cooke who in 1831 gave birth to their son, William Frederick who would go on to become notorious for his run-ins with bushrangers as Inspector of Police in New South Wales in Australia. Their second son, Henry, was born on 10 June 1834 and died on 18 October 1909.
He was created a baronet when he returned to England in 1839.
Pottinger accepted Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston's offer of the post of envoy and plenipotentiary in China and superintendent of British trade, thus replacing Charles Elliot.[5] In 1841, when Pottinger was sent to China, Palmerston instructed him to "examine with care the natural capacities of Hong Kong, and you will not agree to give up that Island unless you should find that you can exchange it for another in the neighbourhood of Canton, better adapted for the purposes in view; equally defensible; and affording sufficient shelter for Ships of War and Commerce".[6] On 4 November 1841, Palmerston's successor Lord Aberdeen wrote to Pottinger that he had doubts over Hong Kong's acquisition since it would incur administrative expenses, and complicate relations with China and other nations.[6]
After Pottinger led a navy to defeat Yishan at Humen, he negotiated the terms of the Treaty of Nanking (1842), which ended the First Opium War and ceded Hong Kong Island to the United Kingdom. Pottinger became the second administrator of Hong Kong (1841–1843) and the first Governor of Hong Kong (1843–1844). When he forwarded the treaty to Aberdeen, Pottinger remarked, "the retention of Hong Kong is the only point in which I have intentionally exceeded my modified instructions, but every single hour I have passed in this superb country has convinced me of the necessity and desirability of our possessing such a settlement as an emporium for our trade and a place from which Her Majesty's subjects in China may be alike protected and controlled."[7]
On 26 April 1843, the Governor's residence (Former French Mission Building) was robbed.
On 26 June 1843, he was appointed to become the Chief Commander of the British troops stationed in Hong Kong.
During his very short tenure, Pottinger established executive and legislative chambers, with one discussing political affairs and one designing legal codes. However, the chambers did not convene often, and this gave Pottinger wide-ranging powers to decide on policy.
Towards the end of his tenure, Pottinger lost the support of the local British merchants and was isolated. He left on 7 May 1844.
During his governorship, Hong Kong became the major port for trading opium in China.
Pottinger became a member of the Privy Council in 1844, and became Governor of the Cape Colony in 1847 and also of Madras in the same year. In 1851, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general.
He died in retirement in Malta in 1856.
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles Elliot |
Administrator of Hong Kong 1841–1843 |
Recreated
Title next held by
William Staveley |
| New office | Governor of Hong Kong 1843–1844 |
Succeeded by Sir John Francis Davis |
| Preceded by Sir Peregrine Maitland |
Governor of the Cape Colony 1847 |
Succeeded by Sir Harry Smith, Bt |
| Preceded by The Marquess of Tweeddale |
Governor of Madras 1848–1854 |
Succeeded by The Lord Harris |
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