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
MonarchQueen Victoria
GovernorSir Frederick Weld
Sir Cecil Clementi Smith
Preceded bySir Cecil Clementi Smith
Succeeded byArthur Philip Talbot (Acting)
William Edward Maxwell
Personal details
Born17 September 1835
Died21 December 1891(1891-12-21) (aged 56)
Paddington, London
Spouse
Emily Ayton Lee (Lady Dickson)
​
​
(m. 1875⁠–⁠1891)​
ProfessionColonial 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] The resort town of Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia (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
  1. "The Late Sir J. F. Dickson". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (weekly). 25 January 1900. p. 58.
  2. "Annual Report of the Council of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society for the Year 1891". 1891. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. Haas, Ernst Anton Max; Bendall, Cecil; Barnett, Lionel David (1876). Catalogue of Sanskrit and Pali Books in the British Museum. London. p. 170.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. "Death of Sir Frederick Dickson". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (Weekly). 29 December 1891. p. 1.
  5. "The Late Sir John Frederick Dickson". The Straits Times. 22 December 1891. p. 3.
  6. "Dickson, Frederick John, C.M.G." Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, and Companionage: 45. 1882.
  7. Walford, Edward (1892). "Dickson, [John] Frederick, K.C.M.G." The Windsor Peerage for 1890–1894.
  8. 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.
  9. Buckley, Charles Burton (1902). An anecdotal history of old times in Singapore. Vol. 2. Singapore: Fraser & Neave. p. 717.
  10. "Death". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. 8 November 1924. p. 8.
  11. "No. 25233". The London Gazette. 24 May 1883. p. 2731.
  12. "No. 25819". The London Gazette. 24 May 1888. p. 2949.
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