>AtticTapestry at 07:31, 11 February 2021

2021-02-11T07:31:00Z

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{{distinguish|text=his uncle Sir [[Cecil Clementi Smith]] (1840–1916), also a colonial administrator}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = [[Excellency|His Excellency]]
|name = Sir Cecil Clementi
|honorific-suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|GCMG|KStJ|FRGS|MRAS}}
|image = SIRCECILCLEMENTIHKU.jpg
|order = 20th
|office = Governor of Straits Settlements
|monarch = [[George V]]
|1blankname = [[Chief Secretary for Administration|Colonial Secretary]]
|1namedata = [[John Scott (colonial administrator)|Sir John Scott]]
|predecessor = Sir [[Hugh Clifford|Hugh Charles Clifford]]
|successor = Sir [[Andrew Caldecott]] {{small|(Acting)}} Sir [[Shenton Whitelegge Thomas]]
|term_start = 5 February 1930
|term_end = 17 February 1934
|order1 = 17th
|office1 = Governor of Hong Kong
|1blankname1 = [[Chief Secretary for Administration|Colonial Secretary]]
|1namedata1 = [[Claud Severn|Sir Claud Severn]] [[Thomas Southorn|Sir Thomas Southorn]]
|term_start1 = 1 November 1925
|term_end1 = 1 February 1930
|predecessor1 = [[Reginald Edward Stubbs]]
|successor1 = [[William Peel (colonial administrator)|William Peel]]
|monarch1 = [[George V]]
|order2 = Acting
|office2 = Governor of British Ceylon
|term_start2 = 1 April 1925
|term_end2 = 18 October 1925
|predecessor2 = [[William Henry Manning]]
|successor2 = [[Edward Bruce Alexander]] (Acting governor)
|monarch2 = George V
|birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1875|9|1}}
|birth_place = [[Cawnpore]], [[British India]]
|death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1947|4|5|1875|9|1}}
|death_place = [[High Wycombe]], [[United Kingdom]]
|restingplace =
|restingplacecoordinates =
|birthname =
|citizenship = British
|nationality =
|party =
|otherparty = 
|spouse = Marie Penelope Rose Eyres
|partner = 
|relations =
|children =
|residence =
|alma_mater = [[Magdalen College, Oxford]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Master of Arts|MA]])
|occupation =
|profession = colonial administrator, merchant
|module = {{Chinese|child=yes|c=金文泰|j=gam1 man4 taai3|p=|por=}}
}}

'''Sir Cecil Clementi''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|GCMG|KStJ|FRGS}} ({{zh|c=金文泰}}; [[Hong Kong Government Cantonese Romanisation|Cantonese]]: Kam Man Tai) (1 September 1875 – 5 April 1947) was a British colonial administrator who served as [[Governor of Hong Kong]] from 1925 to 1930, and [[List of British Governors of the Straits Settlements|Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements]] from 1930 to 1934.

==Early life and education==
Born in [[Cawnpore]] (presently [[Kanpur]]), India, Clementi was the son of Colonel [[Montagu Clementi]], [[Judge Advocate General (India)|Judge Advocate General]] in India, and his wife, Isabel Collard. He attended [[St Paul's School (London)|St Paul's School]] and [[Magdalen College, Oxford]], where he studied [[Sanskrit]] and the classics. In 1896, he achieved a first-class result in [[Honour Moderations|mods]], and was awarded a [[Boden Scholarship]] in Sanskrit in 1897. He was given honorable mentions for the Hertford (1895), Ireland (1896) and Craven (1896) scholarships.

Clementi was ''proxime accessit'' (runner-up) for the [[Gaisford Prize|Gaisford Greek Prose prize]] in 1897, and obtained his B.A. (2nd class ''[[Literae Humaniores|lit. hum.]]'', i.e. classics) in 1898. Clementi was also ''proxime accessit'' for the Chancellor's Latin Essay prize in 1899, and obtained his [[Master of Arts (Oxbridge and Dublin)|M.A.]] in 1901.

==Early colonial service==
In 1899, Clementi placed fourth in the competitive examinations for the civil service, which allowed him his choice of postings. His choice was Hong Kong, and upon his arrival he was sent up to [[Guangzhou|Canton]], where he was a land officer until forced to return to Hong Kong by the events of the [[Boxer Rebellion]]. Clementi's facility with languages was demonstrated when he passed the Cantonese examination in 1900, and the Pekingese examination six years later, in 1906.

After serving as an Assistant Registrar General in 1901, Clementi joined as a member of the Board of Examiners in Chinese, in 1902. In 1902, Clementi was seconded for special service under government of India and was created [[Justice of the Peace|J.P.]] in that same year. A year later, he was seconded for famine relief work in Kwangsi ([[Guangxi]]). A year afterwards, Clementi was appointed Member of Land Court, Assistant Land Officer and Police Magistrate at [[New Territories]], Hong Kong, a position he served in until 1906.

Due to his outstanding performance in the services, Clementi was promoted to Assistant Colonial Secretary and Clerk of Council, in 1907. While he was in that position, Clementi represented the Hong Kong government in the International Opium Conference at Shanghai, in 1909. A year later, he became the Private Secretary to the Administrator at that time, Sir [[Francis Henry May]]. Clementi eventually became Acting Colonial Secretary and Member of both the Executive and Legislative Councils of Hong Kong. He would remain there until 1912.

Clementi played a part in the founding of the [[University of Hong Kong]]. Indeed, he wrote the words, in Latin, of the University Anthem, first performed 11 March 1912.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blogs.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/archivesandmanuscripts/2015/11/19/sir-cecil-clementi-and-the-university-of-hong-kong/|title=Sir Cecil Clementi and the University of Hong Kong|work=Archives & Manuscripts at the Bodleian Library [[University of Oxford]]|date=19 November 2015|access-date= 12 June 2017}}</ref>

In 1913, Clementi was appointed Colonial Secretary of [[British Guiana]], a post he held until 1922. From there he was named the Colonial Secretary of [[Ceylon]], where he served until 1925. Each position imparted considerable responsibility, and on more than one occasion he was in charge of administering the entire government of his area of responsibility. Whilst in Ceylon he served as President of the [[Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society]] in 1924.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royalasiaticsociety.lk/about-2/past-presidents/|title=Past Presidents|publisher=Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka|access-date= 7 January 2017}}</ref>

==Governor of Hong Kong==
In 1925, Clementi was appointed as [[Governor of Hong Kong]], a position to which his fluency in Cantonese suited him well and in which he served until 1930.<ref>{{cite book|title=Governing Hong Kong: Administrative Officers from the 19th Century to the Handover to China, 1862–1997|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=THR5HVD4aYEC|isbn=9781845115258|date=2007|publisher=[[I.B. Tauris]]|location=[[London]]|page=22|first=Steve|last=Tsang}}</ref>

During his tenure, the [[Canton–Hong Kong strike]], which crippled the Hong Kong economy, was resolved and [[Kai Tak Airport]] entered operation (it would operate until [[Hong Kong International Airport]] opened and took over as the main airport in 1998). He also notably ended the practice of ''[[Mui Tsai]]'', the traditional Chinese "female maid servitude" system which often resulted in the abuse of young servant girls. He also appointed [[Shouson Chow]], a prominent Chinese merchant, as the first unofficial member of the [[Executive Council of Hong Kong|Executive Council]]. At the same time, he increased the numbers of official and non-official ("Unofficial") members in the [[Legislative Council of Hong Kong|Legislative Council]] from eight to ten (including the Governor) and from six to eight, respectively. He invited one Chinese and one Portuguese ([[Jose Pedro Braga]]) to be Unofficials.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Cheng|first=T. C.|date=1969|title=Chinese Unofficial Members of the Legislative and Executive Councils in Hong Kong up to 1941|journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch|volume=9|pages=24}}</ref>

Clementi was an opponent of [[Kuomintang|Kuomintang's]] 1926 [[Northern Expedition]] against northern Chinese warlords and advocated British arms support to [[Peking]], a move rejected by London. <ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Share|first1=Michael|date=2005|title=Clash of Worlds: The Comintern, British Hong Kong and Chinese Nationalism, 1921-1927|journal=[[Europe-Asia Studies]]|language=en|volume=57|issue=4|pages=614|issn=0966-8136|doi=10.1080/09668130500105258}}</ref> To counter the growing radicalization of the Chinese intelligentsia against colonialism and imperialism after the [[May Fourth Movement]], he proposed a revised school curriculum in Chinese language that stressed loyalty and traditional Chinese values. He advocated for the training of more teachers in the Chinese language and the establishment of a Chinese Department at the University of Hong Kong. <ref>{{cite journal| last=Luk | first=Bernard Hung-Kay | date=1991 | title=Chinese Culture in the Hong Kong Curriculum: Heritage and Colonialism | journal=[[Comparative Education Review]] | volume=35 | issue=4 | pages=658-9 | issn= 0010-4086 | doi=10.1086/447068 }}</ref>

==Governorship of the Straits Settlements==
[[File:SirCecilClementi.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Sir Cecil, as the [[Governor of Straits Settlements]]]]
After his tenure as Governor of Hong Kong ended, Clementi went on to serve his last post in the Colonial Services as [[Governor of the Straits Settlements|Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements]], which included [[Singapore]], and [[High Commissioner]] for the Malay States, from 5 February 1930 to 17 February 1934.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/sundaytribune19340218-1.2.51|title=Mr. A. Caldecott|work=Sunday Tribune (Singapore)|date=18 February 1934|page=9}}</ref> He handed over to Sir [[Andrew Caldecott]], who become acting Governor, and left for England due to his illness. The position of Governor was later filled by Sir [[Shenton Thomas]] on 9 November 1934.

Six years later, in 1940, Clementi became the Master of the [[Mercers' Company]].

==Personal life==
Clementi was the nephew of the Rt. Hon. Sir [[Cecil Clementi Smith]] (1860–1916), Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner in the period 1887 to 1893. He was also the great-grandson of the [[Italy|Italian]]-born musician [[Muzio Clementi]].

Clementi married Marie Penelope Rose Eyres, daughter of Admiral Cresswell John Eyres, in 1912. The couple had one son, [[Cresswell Clementi|Cresswell]], and three daughters.

Clementi died in [[High Wycombe]], England, on 5 April 1947.

==Honours==
*[[Order of St Michael and St George|C.M.G.]], 1916
*[[K.C.M.G.]], 1926
*[[G.C.M.G.]], 1931
*[[Venerable Order of Saint John|K.St.J.]], 1926
*Fellow, [[Royal Geographical Society]] (F.R.G.S.)
*Member, [[Royal Asiatic Society]] (M.R.A.S.)
*Honorary Fellow, [[Magdalen College, Oxford]], 1938
*Recipient, [[Cuthbert Peek Award]] of the Royal Geographical Society, 1912
*Honours [[LL.D.]] degree, [[Hong Kong University]], 1925

==Publications==
*''[https://archive.org/details/cantoneseloveson00zhaouoft Cantonese Love Songs]''. Clarendon Press (1904)
*''Summary of Geographical Observations taken during a Journey from Kashgar to Kowloon''. Noronha & Co. (1911)
*''Pervigilium Veneris, The vigil of Venus''. Blackwell (1911)
*''[https://archive.org/details/bibliographicalo00clemrich Bibliographical and other studies on the Pervigilium Veneris]''. Blackwell (1913)
*''[http://caribbeanpress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Cecil-Clementi-The-Chinese-In-British-Guiana-Complete-Text.pdf The Chinese in British Guiana]''. The Argosy Company Limited (1915)
*''Elements in Analysis of Thought''. Blackwell (1933)
*''A Constitutional History of British Guiana''. Macmillan (1937) – a definitive work on the constitution of colonial British Guiana

==Namesakes==
*[[Clementi Secondary School]], Hong Kong
*Clementi Road, Hong Kong
*Cecil Clementi Street, Kanpur
*Sir Cecil's Ride (金督馳馬徑), Hong Kong
* [[Clementi Town Secondary School]], Singapore
*[[Clementi, Singapore|Clementi]], Singapore
*Cecile Mountain, Cameron Highland, Malaysia
*[[Clementi MRT station]], Singapore

==See also==
{{Commons category|Cecil Clementi}}
* [[History of Hong Kong]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-gov}}
{{succession box
|before=[[William Henry Manning]]
|title=Acting [[Governor of Ceylon]]|years=1925
|after=[[Edward Bruce Alexander]] ''{{small|(Acting Governor)}}''}}

{{succession box
|before=[[Reginald Edward Stubbs]]
|title=[[Governor of Hong Kong]]|years=1925–1930
|after=Sir [[Wilfrid Thomas Southorn|Wilfrid Southorn]] ''{{small|(Acting Administrator)}}''}}

{{succession box
|before=Sir [[Hugh Clifford|Hugh Charles Clifford]]
|title=[[Governor of Straits Settlements]] & [[British High Commissioner in Malaya]]|years=1930–1934
|after=Sir [[Andrew Caldecott]] ''{{small|(Acting Governor)}}'' Sir [[Shenton Whitelegge Thomas]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Governor of Hong Kong}}
{{British Governor of Ceylon}}
{{Governors of Singapore}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clementi, Cecil}}
[[Category:Governors of British Ceylon]]
[[Category:Governors of Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Governors of the Straits Settlements]]
[[Category:1875 births]]
[[Category:1947 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford]]
[[Category:British people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Chief Secretaries of British Guiana]]
[[Category:Colonial Secretaries of Ceylon]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Asiatic Society]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:People educated at St Paul's School, London]]
[[Category:People from Kanpur]]
[[Category:20th-century Hong Kong people]]
[[Category:20th-century British politicians]]
[[Category:Administrators in British Singapore]]

Cecil Clementi - Revision history

>AtticTapestry at 07:31, 11 February 2021