• Source: William Thomas Mercer

      • William Thomas Mercer (Chinese: 孖沙; Sidney Lau: Ma1 Sa1) (17 October 1821 – 23 May 1879) was a British colonial administrator who served in Hong Kong from 1844 to 1866.


      Early life


      Mercer was the third son of George Dempster Mercer, a trader born in India, and Frances Charlotte Reid, then of Edinburgh, Scotland. His parents emigrated to Tasmania and purchased land there in 1835, leaving the young Mercer behind in England. He matriculated from Exeter College, Oxford, on 30 May 1839. He became a student at the Inner Temple in 1842 and went on to earn BA and MA degrees from the University of Oxford in 1843 and 1851, respectively.


      Colonial service



      Mercer arrived in Hong Kong in 1844 as Private Secretary to Sir John Davis, the second Governor of Hong Kong (1844–1848). Davis, his uncle, then appointed the 23-year-old Mercer acting colonial secretary.: 176  On 24 February 1847, he was appointed Chief Magistrate of Police.
      Mercer rose through the administration, becoming Colonial Treasurer (1845–1854), Auditor General (1854–1858), Colonial Secretary (1854–1868), and, ultimately, Administrator, during a hiatus between Governors from 15 March 1865 to 11 March 1866. He was succeeded by Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell, who became the 6th Governor of Hong Kong.


      Personal life


      Mercer married Mary Phillips Nind, born in Hargrave, Berkshire, in September 1862.


      Published works


      In 1869, Mercer's Under the Peak; or, Jottings in Verse was published.


      Legacy


      Mercer Street, a short and narrow road in Sheung Wan running from Jervois Street to Bonham Strand, is named after him.


      References




      Further reading


      Endacott, G. B. (2005) [1962]. A biographical sketch-book of early Hong Kong. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 978-962-209-742-1.

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