Robert Brown Black
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| Sir Robert Brown Black | |
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| In office 23 January 1958 – 14 April 1964 |
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| Preceded by | Sir Alexander Grantham |
| Succeeded by | Sir David Clive Crosbie Trench |
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| Born | June 3, 1906 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | October 29, 1999 (aged 93) |
| Profession | colonial administrator |
Sir Robert Brown Black GCMG, OBE (Chinese: 柏立基, 1906 - 29 October 1999) was a British colonial governor. He was Governor of Hong Kong from 23 January 1958 to 1 April 1964, having been Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong from 1952 - 1955. He served as Governor of Singapore from 1955 to 1957.
Sir Robert was born in Edinburgh and educated at George Watson's College and University of Edinburgh.[1] He would spend three decades overseas and return to Britain in the 1960s.
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[edit] Family
Robert and his wife Anne have two daughters, Barbara and Kathryn.[2]
[edit] Colonial Administration Career
Sir Robert Brown Black served in the administration of Britain's colonies for more than 30 years. Entering the colonial service, Black was assigned to Trindad, but the remainer of his postings were in Asia. During World War II, he spent several years in a Japanese prison camp in Malaysia. During his posting in North Borneo. Black was commissioned into the Intelligence Corps and involved in guerrilla resistance against the Japanese. He was captured in 1942 and spent the remainder of World War II in prison camp. He rejoined the Colonial service following his release.
After the war ended, he returned to the colonial service and served in North Borneo and Hong Kong before moving on to Singapore as Governor (1955-57). Subsequently, he became Governor of Hong Kong from 1958 to 1964.
During his governorship, Hong Kong became increasingly prosperous, despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of refugees were illegally crossing the border from mainland China every year. Although this influx placed an enormous burden on the colonial authorities, Black repeatedly appealed to the British Government for help in housing the refugees. In this, he was largely successful.
During Black's administration, Hong Kong also experienced severe drought, with water available for only 3–4 hours per day, creating a certain amount of hardship. He also helped establish Chinese University of Hong Kong by united several smaller institutions.[1] He served as Chancellor of both CUHK and University of Hong Kong during his tenure as Governor in Hong Kong.
[edit] Post-Governorship
Black return to Britain and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1962. He died on 29 October 1999.
[edit] Places Named After Him
Robert Black College, a graduate college of the University of Hong Kong.
Robert Black Health Center in San Po Kong, Hong Kong, as well as the former Black Teacher's College were named after him.
Sir Robert Black College of Education, now merged into the Hong Kong Institute of Education.
[edit] Note
- ^ a b Sir Robert BlackTough Scot sorting out the end of Britain's empire
- ^ Hong Kong, Report for the Year 1963. Hong Kong Government Press. 1964.
| Government offices | ||
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| Preceded by Sir John Fearns Nicoll |
Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong 1952-1954 |
Succeeded by Edgeworth Beresford David |
| Preceded by Sir John Fearns Nicoll |
Governor of Singapore 1955-1957 |
Succeeded by Sir William Allmond Codrington Goode |
| Preceded by Sir Alexander Grantham |
Governor of Hong Kong 1958-1964 |
Succeeded by Edmund Brinsley Teesdale（Deputy） |
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