Cecil Clementi Smith

The Right Honourable
Sir Cecil Clementi Smith
GCMG PC
The Right Honourable Sir Cecil Clementi Smith GCMG PC
13th Governor of the Straits Settlements
	In office; 17 October 1887 – 30 August 1893
Preceded by	Sir Frederick Weld
Succeeded by	William Edward Maxwell (acting) ; Sir Charles Mitchell
4th Colonial Secretary of Straits Settlements
	In office; 3 September 1878 – 17 November 1885
Monarch	Queen Victoria
Governor	William C. F. Robinson; Edward Anson; Sir Frederick Weld
Preceded by	Sir John Douglas
Succeeded by	Sir John Frederick Dickson
Colonial Treasurer of Hong Kong
	In office; 13 November 1874 – 29 April 1878
Preceded by	Frederick Forth
Succeeded by	Sir James Russell
Personal details
Born	23 December 1840; London, England, United Kingdom
Died	6 February 1916 (aged 75); Welwyn, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom
Spouse	Teresa Alice Newcomen (m. 1869⁠–⁠1916)
Children	Beatrice Smith (daughter); Eustace Smith (son);
Parents	John Smith (father); Cecilia Susanna Clementi (mother);
Relatives	Cecil Clementi (nephew)
Education	Master of Arts
Alma mater	St Paul's School ; Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Occupation	Colonial Administrator

Sir Cecil Clementi Smith GCMG PC (23 December 1840 – 6 February 1916),^[1] was a British colonial administrator.

Background

The son of an Essex rector, John Smith, and his wife Cecilia Susanna Clementi (daughter of Muzio Clementi), Cecil Clementi Smith received his education at St Paul's School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.^[2] In 1864 he began his civil service career as a cadet interpreter in Hong Kong, learning much about the Chinese culture and gradually became an accomplished scholar of the Chinese culture.^[1] He was also the Colonial Treasurer of Hong Kong.

Civil Service

On 3 September 1878,^[3] Clementi Smith took office in Singapore as a Colonial Secretary in the Straits Settlements, and understudied Governor Frederick Weld. His knowledge of Chinese culture and competence in the language proved useful as he was able to communicate effectively with leaders of the growing Chinese community.

Smith became known for his effective work in quelling Chinese secret societies in the Straits Settlements, such as those in Singapore which had been terrorising locals for decades. He also established the Queen's Scholarships in 1889 to fund bright Singaporean students to further their studies in top British universities.^[1]

In 1887 he was appointed Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner to Malaya till 1893. A popular governor, the local Chinese community petitioned for a continuation of his appointment when he left Singapore in 1893.^[1]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]

Subsequently, he was Lieutenant Governor of Ceylon, and the Master of the Mercers' Company in 1897. He was president of the commission of inquiry on the Trinidad riots in 1903, and was chief British delegate to International Opium Convention at The Hague in 1912.^[8]

Family

Clementi Smith married Teresa Alice Newcomen; they had three sons and four daughters. Clementi Smith died in Welwyn, Hertfordshire, England, on 6 February 1916, aged 75.^[9] His nephew was Sir Cecil Clementi who also served as Governor of the Straits Settlements and in other administrative positions in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Honours and awards

Clementi Smith was invested with Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1880,^[10] Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1886^[11] and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in 1892.^[12]

He was also appointed as Privy Counsellor in 1906.^[13]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Vernon Cornelius (2011), Cecil Clementi Smith, Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board, archived from the original on 26 July 2014.
^ "Smith, Cecil Clementi (SMT859CC)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
^ "No. 24622". The London Gazette. 6 September 1878. p. 5037.
^ "Farewell public banquet to H.E. the governor". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. 24 August 1893. p. 2.
^ "The farewell banquet to H.E. the Governor". The Straits Times. 24 August 1893. p. 2.
^ "The farewell banquet to H.E. the Governor". The Straits Times. 24 August 1893. p. 3.
^ "His Excellency Sir Cecil Clementi Smith". The Straits Times. 30 August 1893. p. 3.
^ "INTERNATIONAL OPIUM CONVENTION SIGNED AT THE HAGUE JANUARY 23, 1912". 23 January 1912. Archived from the original on 25 January 2005.
^ "Sir Clementi Smith dead". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. 9 February 1916. p. 6..
^ "No. 24848". The London Gazette. 28 May 1880. p. 3220.
^ "No. 25592". The London Gazette. 29 May 1886. p. 2634.
^ "No. 26238". The London Gazette. 1 January 1892. p. 1.
^ "No. 27928". The London Gazette. 3 July 1906. p. 4545.

External links

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.
Turnbull, C[onstance] M[ary] (1989), A History of Singapore, 1819–1988 (2nd ed.), Singapore: Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-588911-6.

Government offices
Preceded by Frederick Forth	Colonial Treasurer of Hong Kong 1874-1878	Succeeded by Sir James Russell
Preceded by Sir John Douglas	Colonial Secretary of Straits Settlements 1878-1885	Succeeded by Sir John Frederick Dickson
Preceded by Sir Frederick Weld	Governor of the Straits Settlements 1887–1893	Succeeded by William Edward Maxwell (acting) Sir Charles Mitchell

[Infopedia-1] Vernon Cornelius (2011), Cecil Clementi Smith, Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board, archived from the original on 26 July 2014.

[2] "Smith, Cecil Clementi (SMT859CC)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.

[3] "No. 24622". The London Gazette. 6 September 1878. p. 5037.

[4] "Farewell public banquet to H.E. the governor". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. 24 August 1893. p. 2.

[5] "The farewell banquet to H.E. the Governor". The Straits Times. 24 August 1893. p. 2.

[6] "The farewell banquet to H.E. the Governor". The Straits Times. 24 August 1893. p. 3.

[7] "His Excellency Sir Cecil Clementi Smith". The Straits Times. 30 August 1893. p. 3.

[8] "INTERNATIONAL OPIUM CONVENTION SIGNED AT THE HAGUE JANUARY 23, 1912". 23 January 1912. Archived from the original on 25 January 2005.

[9] "Sir Clementi Smith dead". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. 9 February 1916. p. 6..

[10] "No. 24848". The London Gazette. 28 May 1880. p. 3220.

[11] "No. 25592". The London Gazette. 29 May 1886. p. 2634.

[12] "No. 26238". The London Gazette. 1 January 1892. p. 1.

[13] "No. 27928". The London Gazette. 3 July 1906. p. 4545.

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v t e Financial Secretary of Hong Kong
Financial Secretary: Paul Chan
Subordinate departments	Office of the Government Economist Hong Kong Monetary Authority
Previous office holders *	Martin Mercer Ricnaecker Forth C. C. Smith Russell Lister Mitchell-Innes T. S. Smith Thomson Messer Taylor Caine Butters Follows Clarke Cowperthwaite Haddon-Cave Bremridge Jacobs Macleod D. Tsang Leung Tang J. Tsang Chan
* Includes previous Colonial Treasurers

Resident Councillors, Colonial Secretaries & Chief Secretaries of Singapore (1826 – 1959) (with italics * for the Acting)
Resident Councillors of Singapore (1826 – 1867)	John Prince Kenneth Murchison Samuel George Bonham Thomas Church Henry Somerset MacKenzie Ronald MacPherson
Colonial Secretaries of Straits Settlements (1867 – 1942)	Ronald MacPherson James W. W. Birch Thomas Braddell * William Willans * Charles John Irving * John Douglas Cecil Clementi Smith Sir John Frederick Dickson Arthur Philip Talbot * William Edward Maxwell James Alexander Swettenham Walter Egerton * Charles Walter Sneyd-Kynnersley * Sir William Thomas Taylor Frederick George Penney Edward Lewis Brockman * Sir Arthur Henderson Young Edward Lewis Brockman Richard James Wilkinson Sir Frederick Seton James George Hemmant * Edward Shaw Hose Sir Hayes Marriott George Hemmant * Sir John Scott Sir Andrew Caldecott Sir Alexander Sym Small Stanley Wilson Jones Hugh Fraser *
Colonial Secretaries of Singapore (1946 – 1955)	Sir Patrick McKerron J D M Smith * Wilfred Lawson Blythe William Allmond Codrington Goode
Chief Secretaries of Singapore (1955 – 1959)	Sir William Allmond Codrington Goode Edgeworth Beresford David

Governors of Singapore (1819–1959)
(with italics * for the Acting)
Resident of Singapore (1819–1826)	William Farquhar Dr. John Crawfurd
Governors of the Straits Settlements (under British India) (1826–1867)	Robert Fullerton Robert Ibbetson Kenneth Murchison Sir Samuel George Bonham William John Butterworth Edmund Augustus Blundell
Governors of the Straits Settlements (under Colonial Office) (1867–1942)	Sir Orfeur Cavenagh Sir Harry St. George Ord Sir Andrew Clarke Sir William Jervois Sir Archibald Edward Harbord Anson * Sir William Cleaver Francis Robinson Sir Archibald Edward Harbord Anson * Sir Frederick Aloysius Weld Sir Cecil Clementi Smith William Edward Maxwell * Sir Charles Bullen Hugh Mitchell Sir James Alexander Swettenham * Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham Sir John Anderson Sir Arthur Henderson Young Sir Laurence Nunns Guillemard Sir Hugh Charles Clifford Sir John Scott * Sir Cecil Clementi Sir Andrew Caldecott * Sir Thomas Shenton Whitelegge Thomas
Japanese Mayor of Syonan (1942–1945)	Shigeo Odate Kanichi Naito
British Military Administration of the Straits Settlements (1945–1946)	Lord Louis Mountbatten Sir Thomas Shenton Whitelegge Thomas
Governors of the Crown Colony of Singapore (1946–1959)	Sir Franklin Charles Gimson Wilfred Lawson Blythe * Sir John Fearns Nicoll William Allmond Codrington Goode * Sir Robert Brown Black Sir William Allmond Codrington Goode

v t e Chief Secretary of Ceylon
Colonial Secretary	Cleghorn Boyd Arbuthnot Rodney Anstruther Tennent MacCarthy Gibson Irving Birch Douglas Smith Walker im Thurn Ashmore Clifford Booth Stubbs Clementi Murchison Fletcher Bourdillon
Chief Secretary	Bourdillon Tyrrell Wedderburn Wodeman Drayton