John Frederick Dickson
Sir John Frederick Dickson KCMG (17 September 1835 – 21 December 1891),[1] was a British colonial administrator in Singapore. He was also President of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society from 1886 to 1891.[2] He translated and edited the Upasampadā-kammavācā and the Patimokkha.[3]
Sir John Frederick Dickson KCMG | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 5th Colonial Secretary of Straits Settlements | |
| In office 17 November 1885 – 31 August 1891 | |
| Monarch | Queen Victoria |
| Governor | Sir Frederick Weld Sir Cecil Clementi Smith |
| Preceded by | Sir Cecil Clementi Smith |
| Succeeded by | Arthur Philip Talbot (Acting) William Edward Maxwell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 September 1835 |
| Died | 21 December 1891 (aged 56) Paddington, London |
| Spouse(s) | Emily Ayton Lee (Lady Dickson)
(m. 1875–1891) |
| Profession | Colonial Administrator |
Education
Dickson graduated from Westminster School and then Christ Church Oxford with B.A. in 1859 and M.A. in 1873.[4][5]
Career
Dickson entered the Ceylon Civil Service as a writer on 28 February 1859 and served in Ceylon until 1885,[5][6][7] including a position as the Central Provincial Government Agent. He arrived in Singapore in 1885 to receive instruction on becoming the new Colonial Secretary in Singapore, which he served until 1891.[4][5]
In 1885 Dickson formally took office in Singapore as Colonial Secretary in the Straits Settlements, as the successor to Cecil Clementi Smith, who resigned as Colonial Secretary to accept a promotion to Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner to Malaya. For three separate occasions in 1887, 1889 and 1890, he performed administrative duties for governors during their absence.[4][5][8]
As Colonial Secretary, he instructed the Public Works Department to maintain the historical inscriptions, granite stones, and brick works in the cemetery on Government Hill.[9]
Death
Dickson died in 1891 in Paddington.
Family
J. Frederick Dickson was twice married.[5] He was married to his first wife from 1859 until her death in 1866. His second wife was Emily, Lady Dickson, née Emily Ayton Lee (christened on 2 September 1842, married in 1875 in Kensington and died on 10 October 1924).[10]
Honours
Dickson was made C.M.G. in 1883[4][5][6][11] and K.C.M.G. in 1888.[4][5][7][12] Port Dickson (locally known as PD) is named in his honour.
Further reading
- Singapore: Days of Old. A Special Commemorative History of Singapore Published on the 10th Anniversary of Singapore Tatler, Singapore: Illustrated Magazine Pub. Co., 1992, pp. 48–49, ISBN 978-962709319-0.
- Tate, D. J. M. (1988), A Portrait Gallery of Nineteenth Century Singapore, Singapore: Antiques of the Orient, ISBN 978-981-00-0668-6.
References
- "The Late Sir J. F. Dickson". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (weekly). 25 January 1900. p. 58.
- "Annual Report of the Council of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society for the Year 1891". 1891. Cite journal requires
|journal=(help) - Haas, Ernst Anton Max; Bendall, Cecil; Barnett, Lionel David (1876). Catalogue of Sanskrit and Pali Books in the British Museum. London. p. 170. Missing
|author1=(help) - "Death of Sir Frederick Dickson". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (Weekly). 29 December 1891. p. 1.
- "The Late Sir John Frederick Dickson". The Straits Times. 22 December 1891. p. 3.
- "Dickson, Frederick John, C.M.G." Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, and Companionage: 45. 1882.
- Walford, Edward (1892). "Dickson, [John] Frederick, K.C.M.G." The Windsor Peerage for 1890–1894.
- Kuala Lumpur Street Names: A Guide to Their Meanings and Histories. Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd. 15 September 2015. ISBN 978-9-814-72144-8.
- Buckley, Charles Burton (1902). An anecdotal history of old times in Singapore. 2. Singapore: Fraser & Neave. p. 717.
- "Death". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. 8 November 1924. p. 8.
- "No. 25233". The London Gazette. 24 May 1883. p. 2731.
- "No. 25819". The London Gazette. 24 May 1888. p. 2949.
