 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "William Peel" colonial administrator – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(December 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Sir William Peel | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Peel,c. 1936 | |||||||
| 18th Governor of Hong Kong | |||||||
| In office 9 May 1930 – 17 May 1935 | |||||||
| Monarch | George V | ||||||
| Colonial Secretary | Sir Thomas Southorn | ||||||
| Preceded by | SirCecil Clementi | ||||||
| Succeeded by | SirAndrew Caldecott | ||||||
| Personal details | |||||||
| Born | (1875-02-27)27 February 1875 | ||||||
| Died | 24 February 1945(1945-02-24) (aged 69) London, UK | ||||||
| Spouse | Violet Mary Drake | ||||||
| Alma mater | Queens' College, Cambridge | ||||||
| Occupation | colonial administrator | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 貝璐 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 贝璐 | ||||||
| |||||||
Sir William PeelKCMG KBE (Chinese:貝璐; 27 February 1875 – 24 February 1945) was aBritish colonial administrator who served asGovernor of Hong Kong.
Peel was born inHexham,Northumberland,England. He was the son of Rev. W. E. Peel ofBoston Spa inYorkshire. He attendedSilcoates School and laterQueens' College, Cambridge.[1]
He became acadet in theColonial Service inBritish Malaya in 1897 and was soon promoted to ActingDistrict Officer ofNibong Tebal in 1898 andBukit Mertajam in 1899 andProvince Wellesley until 1901. His next appointment as Acting SecondColonial Secretary took him toSingapore in 1902 until his return toPenang in 1905 to serve as Acting SecondMagistrate andCoroner. After serving as ActingAuditor in 1908 in Penang, he continued his service in various capacities in theFederated Malay States such as Acting Secretary to theResident ofSelangor in 1909 and Acting District Officer LowerPerak in 1910, before returning to Penang as President of theMunicipal Commissioners Penang in 1911. He became ActingResident Councillor of Penang from (26 February – 5 October 1917). Later, he became president of the municipal commissioners ofSingapore in 1918. In 1919, he was appointed as joint passage controller of labour for the Federated Malay States andStraits Settlements in 1920; and chairman of European Unemployment Committee in 1921. In 1922, he became British Adviser for the Government ofKedah. He became Acting Resident Councillor of Penang from 10 May to 9 July 1925. In 1927, he acted as officer administering the government andHigh Commissioner for the Malay States, having been promoted to beChief Secretary to Government in 1926.
On 9 May 1930, Peel was appointed as Governor ofHong Kong. During his tenure, the telephone system in Hong Kong was automated, and the first permanent flight betweenChina and Hong Kong was established. Also, Peel presided over the construction of aGovernor's Retreat inFanling, in theNew Territories.
Peel retired in May 1935.
Peel married to Violet Mary Drake, daughter of the late W. D. Laing by whom he had two sons.
Peel Rise in Hong Kong is a hiking trail connectingAberdeen Reservoir Road and Peak Road. andPeel Avenue in Penang were named after him. In addition, theViolet Peel Health Centre was named after his wife. The Peel Block ofKing George V School is named after him. Jalan Peel (Peel Road) in Kuala Lumpur was named after him too.
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Governor of Hong Kong 1930 – 1935 | Succeeded by |
.svg)