David Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn
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David Clive Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn, KT, GCMG (born 14 February 1935) was a British administrator, diplomat and Sinologist. Lord Wilson of Tillyorn was the second to last Commander-in-Chief and 27th Governor of Hong Kong (from 1987 to 1992).
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[edit] Early life and career
Wilson was born in Scotland and was educated in Trinity College, Glenalmond, Keble College, Oxford, and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (Master of Arts; Ph.D. in contemporary history, 1955-1958). He studied the Chinese language from 1960 to 1962 in Hong Kong while he worked as the political advisor for Sir Robert Brown Black, the Governor of Hong Kong.
From 1977 to 1981, Wilson was a political adviser of Sir Murray MacLehose, the Governor of Hong Kong. Then, he received an assignment as diplomat to southern Europe. In 1984, he worked on diplomatic matters with Asia-Pacific and became a British delegate in the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group (中英聯合聯絡小組) that same year.
[edit] Name in Chinese
Originally, Wilson was named in Chinese was Wèi Déwéi (魏德巍 Jyutping: Ngai6 Dak1-ngai4) before he assumed the Hong Kong Governorship. However, the local media started to describe the name with the phrase "Two Ghosts Knocking on the Door" (雙鬼拍門, due to the Chinese character for "ghost" appearing twice in the name, embedded in the other characters). As a result, Wilson changed the name to Wèi Yìxìn (衛奕信 Wai6 Jik6-seon3), which is another, more neutral, transliteration of his family name into Cantonese.
[edit] Hong Kong governorship
As a governor, Wilson encountered the Vietnamese boat refugee problem, which steadily grew worse. In October 1989, Wilson proposed the building of an airport on Lantau Island, known as the Rose Garden Project (玫瑰園計劃 see Hong Kong International Airport), in the Policy Address of 1989. The proposal was created out of concern that the then-current airport, which has been in use since the beginning of Aviation in Hong Kong, is not equipped to handle modern aviation needs.
Wilson retired before the end of his term. Before his retirement, however, Wilson embarked on political reforms that paved the way for eighteen legislators of the Legislative Council to be directly elected by the people of Hong Kong.
[edit] Post-governorship
After his governorship und the elevation to a life peerage with the title Baron Wilson of Tillyorn, of Finzean in the District of Kincardine and Deeside and of Fanling in Hong Kong in 1992, Wilson became the chairman of the utility company Scottish Hydro Electric plc (later Scottish and Southern Energy) in Perth, Scotland between 1993 and 2000. He was appointed a Vice-President of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (1996) and Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen (1997). Wilson was made a Knight of the Thistle in 2000. In 2002, he was appointed Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge.
[edit] Places named after him
The 78-kilometre Wilson Trail, containing ten hiking segments aligned north-south in Hong Kong, is named after him, as is the Lord Wilson Heritage Trust (衛奕信勳爵文物信託) based in Wanchai, established in December 1992 to preserve Hong Kong's historical culture.
[edit] Personal life
Wilson has been married to Natasha Helen Mary since 1967.
[edit] Criticisms
Wilson was accused of "moving away from democracy" and "absolutely obeying Beijing" by the pro-democracy camp. In fact, he was unpopular because he said it was "good" for the Communist Party to continue to give water to Hong Kong after the mass protest against the decision of massacre.
[edit] Honours
- KT
- GCMG
- Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge
[edit] External links
| Government Offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Sir David Akers-Jones |
President of the Legislative Council 1987–1992 |
Succeeded by: Christopher Francis Patten |
| Preceded by: Sir David Akers-Jones |
Governor of Hong Kong 1987–1992 |
Succeeded by: Christopher Francis Patten |
| Academic Offices | ||
| Preceded by: Sir John Meurig Thomas |
Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge 2002–Present |
Succeeded by: (current incumbent) |
