Sir Thomas Jackson, 1st Baronet

Statue of the HSBC banker, Sir Thomas Jackson Bt. 1841-1915 on Statue Square, Hong Kong.

Sir Thomas Jackson, 1st Baronet, (昃臣) (1841 - 1915) was the third Chief Manager of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. He was responsible for financing the development of Colonial Hong Kong under the first large scale bank.

Early years

Sir Thomas Jackson was born in Ireland on 4 June 1841, at Carrigallen, Co. Leitrim, the second of six sons of David and Elizabeth Jackson. He spend his childhood in Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, and in 1860 joined the Belfast Branch of the Bank of Ireland. Jackson travelled to Hong Kong in 1864 to join the Agra and Masterbank.[1] In 1864 the foundation of the Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation ("HSBC") building was being developed.[2] Jackson joined the bank in 1865, a year after its opening[3] and served terms as accountant in Shanghai and then from 1870 to 1874 as manager in Yokohama.[4]

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.[3] 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.[5]

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".[6] 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.[7] On 25 July 1902 Jackson was conferred the hereditary title of Baronet.[8]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.". His full style became Sir Thomas Jackson, of Stansted House, in the parish of Stansted, in the county of Essex, Knight.

Legacy

In recognition of his services to the bank and Hong Kong, in February 1906 a statue of Jackson was unveiled in Statue Square in front of the bank's Hong Kong premises by the colony's Governor Sir Matthew Nathan.[2][6] The statue remains to this day.[9] Jackson is commemorated in his native Ireland in a stained glass window in Creggan Anglican church, County Armagh.

References

  1. ↑ Cumiskey, Mary. "Sir Thomas Jackson", Creggan Historical Journal, 1990, accessed 8 December 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lim, Patricia (2002). Discovering Hong Hong's Cultural Heritage, Volume One. Central, Hong Kong: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-592723-0.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Collis, Maurice (1965). Wayfoong. The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. London: Faber & Faber. p. 54.
  4. ↑ Collis (1965), p. 44
  5. ↑ Collis (1965), pp. 142 & 263
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Collis (1965), p. 142
  7. ↑ Collis (1965), p. 61
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27457. p. 4738. 25 July 1902. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  9. ↑ Lambcutlet. "Lambcutlet actual Statue Square box photo". Retrieved on 2007-02-17.

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Business positions
Preceded by
James Greig		 Chief Manager of HSBC
1876–1886 		Succeeded by
John Walter
Preceded by
John Walter		 Chief Manager of HSBC
1887–1889 		Succeeded by
G. E. Noble
Preceded by
G. E. Noble		 Chief Manager of HSBC
1890–1891 		Succeeded by
F. de Bovis
Preceded by
F. de Bovis		 Chief Manager of HSBC
1893–1902 		Succeeded by
R. M. Smith
Legislative Council of Hong Kong
New seat Unofficial Member
Representative for Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce
1884–1886 		Succeeded by
A. P. MacEwen