George Bonham

Sir Samuel George Bonham, 1st Baronet Bt KCB (Chinese Translated Name 般咸, 文咸 or 文翰) (7 September 1803 – 8 October 1863) was a British colonial governor, who became the 4th Governor of the Straits Settlements and the 3rd Governor of Hong Kong.

Sir George Bonham Bt KCB
3rd Governor of Hong Kong
In office 21 March 1848 – 13 April 1854
Monarch	Victoria
Lieutenant Governor	Maj Gen William Staveley Maj Gen William Jervois
Preceded by	Sir John Davis
Succeeded by	Sir John Bowring
4th Governor of the Straits Settlements
In office 18 November 1836 – January 1843
Monarch	William IV Queen Victoria
Preceded by	Kenneth Murchison
Succeeded by	William Butterworth
3rd Resident Councillor of Singapore
In office 7 December 1833 – 18 November 1836
Preceded by	Kenneth Murchison
Succeeded by	Thomas Church
Personal details
Born	Samuel George Bonham 7 September 1803 Faversham, Kent
Died	8 October 1863 (aged 60) Paddington, London
Resting place	Kensal Green Cemetery, London
Spouse(s)	Ellen Emelia Barnard ​ ​ (m. 1846; died 1859)​
Children	George Francis Bonham
Relatives	Isabella Charlotte Bonham (sister)
Profession	Colonial Administrator

Early life

Samuel George Bonham was born in Faversham, Kent on 7 September 1803.[1] He was the son of Captain George Bonham, of the maritime service of the East India Company.[1] His mother, Isabella, the daughter of Robert Woodgate, was his father's second wife.[1] He had one sister, also called Isabella, who married the Belgian count Ferdinand d'Oultremont. His father drowned in 1810.

When he was fifteen, he started working for the East India Company in Bencoolen, Sumatra.[2]

Governor of Straits Settlements

Bonham became deputy to the Governor of the Straits Settlements, Kenneth Murchison, in 1833. However, as Murchison was away from Southeast Asia for much of his governorship, Bonham was in effect responsible for the administration of the Straits Settlements. He took over from Murchison as Governor on 18 November 1836, a post he held until January 1843.[2] He first governed from Penang, but later made Singapore the permanent residence of the Governor. During his governorship, Singapore grew in commercial importance as well as strategic significance as it supplied provisions for warships on their way to the Opium War in China.[3] He was involved in the partial abolition of bond slavery, and provided a ship to combat piracy in the region. In an attempt to reduce the cost of administration, he reduced the number of senior officials from 19 to 8.[2]

Governor of Hong Kong

After a period of service with the East India Company, Bonham was appointed Governor of Hong Kong and plenipotentiary and superintendent of trade in China on 21 March 1848. During his tenure Bonham cut government spendings to balance the budget and also stimulated the Real Estate market in order to increase government income. His method of increasing government income eventually became the major source of income for the Hong Kong government a century later.

Bonham was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in April 1848.[4]

Bonham was known for his calm demeanour and gentle nature. It was due to these qualities that he gained the trust of the British Government and the good relationship of many Hong Kong people.

In 1850, upon his request to the Viceroy, a successful expedition was conducted against the pirates in the neighbourhood of Hong Kong, and Bonham attempted to open direct communication with the central government at Peking, and in furtherance of this object sent Mr Medhurst to the Peiho with a despatch, but the effort proved fruitless.

Bonham retired from the position of Governor in Hong Kong in April 1854 and returned to England.[5]

Baronet of Malmesbury

In November 1850 Bonham was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) as a reward for his services in China,[6] and following his return to England a Baronetcy was conferred upon him on 27 November 1852.[7]

Personal life

In 1846, Bonham married Ellen Emelia Barnard, the eldest daughter of Thomas Barnard.[1] They had one son, George Francis Bonham (28 August 1847 – 31 July 1927), who succeeded to the Baronetcy. Bonham's wife died in 1859 and he survived her until 8 October 1863, dying aged 60, of undisclosed causes. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery, London.

Legacy

Fort Canning Hill in Singapore was formerly named after Bonham as Bukit Tuan Bonham (Malay: Sir Bonham's Hill), as was Bonham Street near Raffles Place, Singapore. Bonham Road and Bonham Strand on Hong Kong Island were also named after him.

References

1. Dod (1860), p. 124
2. Corfield, Justin (2 December 2010). Historical Dictionary of Singapore. Scarecrow Press. p. 40. ISBN 9780810873872.
3. John Cameron (1865). Our Tropical Possessions in Malayan India: Being a Descriptive Account of Singapore, Penang. Smith, Elder. pp. 21–22.
4. "No. 20850". The London Gazette. 28 April 1848. p. 1655.
5. Douglas 1886.
6. "No. 21156". The London Gazette. 22 November 1850. p. 3095.
7. "No. 21383". The London Gazette. 23 November 1852. p. 3149.

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Douglas, Robert Kennaway (1886). "Bonham, Samuel George". In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. 5. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

Bibliography

• Dod, Robert P. (1860). The Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of Great Britain and Ireland. London: Whitaker and Co.
• Endacott, G. B. (2005) [1962]. A biographical sketch-book of early Hong Kong. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 978-9622097421.

External links

• Portraits of Sir (Samuel) George Bonham, 1st Bt at the National Portrait Gallery, London