David Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn
Encyclopedia
David Clive Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn, (born 14 February 1935) is a retired British
administrator
, diplomat
and Sinologist. Lord Wilson of Tillyorn was the penultimate Commander-in-Chief
and 27th Governor of Hong Kong
(from 1987 to 1992). He served as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
, the British Monarch's representative to the Assembly, in 2010 and 2011.
and was educated at Glenalmond
and Keble College, Oxford
(1955–58, Master of Arts), and the School of Oriental and African Studies
, University of London
(Ph.D.
in contemporary Chinese history
, obtained in 1973). He studied Chinese at the University of Hong Kong from 1960 to 1962 and then served in the British Mission in Beijing.
In 1968 Wilson resigned from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
to edit The China Quarterly
at the School of Oriental and African Studies. After rejoining the Diplomatic Service in 1974 he worked in the Cabinet Office
and then, from 1977 to 1981, as Political Adviser to Sir Murray MacLehose, then Governor of Hong Kong
. Following that he became Head of Southern European Department in the FCO and then Assistant Under Secretary for Asia and the Pacific during which time he was Head of the British side of the Working Group engaged in drafting the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration
on Hong Kong and then, in 1984, the first Senior British Representative on the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group
(中英聯合聯絡小組) set up under the Joint Declaration. When Sir Edward Youde
passed away in Beijing on 5 December 1986, Wilson replaced him to become the Governor of Hong Kong in 1987.
, it was noted that the Cantonese pronunciation of his earlier name sounded almost nothing like his actual name, and too much like "hypocrisy to the extent of dangerousness" (偽得危). There was also concern about the surname and the third character, each of which are formed from components meaning which "1,800 female ghosts" (千八女鬼); some local media reports referred to the name as "two ghosts knocking at the door" (雙鬼拍門). As such, he then changed his name to Wei Yixin , which in addition to having a more favourable meaning, was composed of 33 strokes
, said to be a lucky number.
in Beijing. He also encountered the Vietnamese refugee
problem, which steadily grew worse and led to the 1988 policy of repatriating those found not to qualify for refugee status (see bắt đầu từ nay). In October 1989, Wilson proposed, in the Governor's Annual Policy Address, the building of an airport on Lantau Island
, known as the Rose Garden Project (玫瑰園計劃 see Hong Kong International Airport
). The proposal was created out of concern that the then-current airport at Kai Tak
, which had been in use since the beginning of Aviation in Hong Kong, was not equipped to handle modern aviation needs.
Wilson left Hong Kong in June 1992 following the completion of his five year term as Governor. Before his retirement 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.
in the District of Kincardine and Deeside
and of Fanling
in Hong Kong
in 1991, Wilson became the Chairman of the energy company Scottish Hydro Electric
plc. (later Scottish and Southern Energy) based in Perth, Scotland
from 1993 - 2000. He was a member of the Board of the British Council
(and Chairman of its Scottish Committee) from 1993–2002; a Director of the Martin Currie Pacific Trust from 1993–2002 and Chairman of the Trustees of the National Museums of Scotland
from 2002-06. In 1996 he was appointed a Vice-President of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society
; and he has been Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen
since 1997. He was President of the Bhutan Society of the UK (1993–2008), the Hong Kong Society (1994- ) and the Hong Kong Association (1994- ). Wilson was made a Knight of the Thistle
in 2000. He served as Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge
from 2002 to 2008. Since October 2008 he has been President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
; Sir John Arbuthnott
has been elected as his successor. In January 2010 he was appointed Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
for 2010.
, 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.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
administrator
Administrator of the Government
An Administrator in the constitutional practice of some countries in the Commonwealth is a person who fulfils a role similar to that of a Governor or a Governor-General...
, diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and Sinologist. Lord Wilson of Tillyorn was the penultimate Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
and 27th Governor of Hong Kong
Governor of Hong Kong
The Governor of Hong Kong was the head of the government of Hong Kong during British rule from 1843 to 1997. The governor's roles were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions...
(from 1987 to 1992). He served as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the British Sovereign's personal representative to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland , reflecting the Church's role as the national church of Scotland, and the Sovereign's role as protector and member of...
, the British Monarch's representative to the Assembly, in 2010 and 2011.
Early life and career
Wilson was born in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and was educated at Glenalmond
Glenalmond
Glenalmond or Glen Almond is a glen which stretches for several miles to the west of the city of Perth in Perth and Kinross, Scotland and down which the River Almond flows. The upper half of the glen runs through mountainous country and is virtually uninhabited whilst the lower, easterly section...
and Keble College, Oxford
Keble College, Oxford
Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall...
(1955–58, Master of Arts), and the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
(Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in contemporary Chinese history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, obtained in 1973). He studied Chinese at the University of Hong Kong from 1960 to 1962 and then served in the British Mission in Beijing.
In 1968 Wilson resigned from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
to edit The China Quarterly
The China Quarterly
The China Quarterly, founded in 1960, is an interdisciplinary academic journal that focuses on all aspects of contemporary Mainland China and Taiwan. It covers a range of subjects including anthropology, business, literature and the arts, economics, geography, history, international affairs, law,...
at the School of Oriental and African Studies. After rejoining the Diplomatic Service in 1974 he worked in the Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
and then, from 1977 to 1981, as Political Adviser to Sir Murray MacLehose, then Governor of Hong Kong
Governor of Hong Kong
The Governor of Hong Kong was the head of the government of Hong Kong during British rule from 1843 to 1997. The governor's roles were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions...
. Following that he became Head of Southern European Department in the FCO and then Assistant Under Secretary for Asia and the Pacific during which time he was Head of the British side of the Working Group engaged in drafting the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration
Sino-British Joint Declaration
The Sino-British Joint Declaration, formally known as the Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong, was signed by the Prime Ministers, Zhao Ziyang and Margaret...
on Hong Kong and then, in 1984, the first Senior British Representative on the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group
Sino-British Joint Liaison Group
Sino-British Joint Liaison Group or simply Joint Liaision Group was a meeting group between the Governments of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the People's Republic of China after signing of Sino-British Joint Declaration , a treaty for the transfer of sovereignty of...
(中英聯合聯絡小組) set up under the Joint Declaration. When Sir Edward Youde
Edward Youde
Sir Edward Youde GCMG, GCVO, MBE was a British administrator, diplomat and Sinologist. He served as Governor of Hong Kong between 20 May 1982 and 5 December 1986.-Early years:...
passed away in Beijing on 5 December 1986, Wilson replaced him to become the Governor of Hong Kong in 1987.
Name in Chinese
When Wilson studied Mandarin at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, he was given the Chinese name Wèi Déwéi ; "Wei" was short for "Wilson", while "Dewei" is a common Chinese transliteration of David. However, when he arrived in Hong Kong to take up the position of colonial governorGovernor of Hong Kong
The Governor of Hong Kong was the head of the government of Hong Kong during British rule from 1843 to 1997. The governor's roles were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions...
, it was noted that the Cantonese pronunciation of his earlier name sounded almost nothing like his actual name, and too much like "hypocrisy to the extent of dangerousness" (偽得危). There was also concern about the surname and the third character, each of which are formed from components meaning which "1,800 female ghosts" (千八女鬼); some local media reports referred to the name as "two ghosts knocking at the door" (雙鬼拍門). As such, he then changed his name to Wei Yixin , which in addition to having a more favourable meaning, was composed of 33 strokes
Stroke (CJK character)
CJK strokes, also called CJK strokes or CJKV strokes are the calligraphic strokes needed to write the Chinese characters used in East Asia...
, said to be a lucky number.
Hong Kong governorship
As Governor, Wilson had to deal with the fallout in Hong Kong from the 1989 Tiananmen Square protestsTiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
in Beijing. He also encountered the Vietnamese refugee
Vietnamese people in Hong Kong
Many of the Vietnamese people in Hong Kong immigrated as a result of the war and persecution in Vietnam since the mid-1970s. There is however also small but growing community of diaspora vietnamese being sent to Hong Kong forming an expatriate community, from countries far afield like Australia,...
problem, which steadily grew worse and led to the 1988 policy of repatriating those found not to qualify for refugee status (see bắt đầu từ nay). In October 1989, Wilson proposed, in the Governor's Annual Policy Address, the building of an airport on Lantau Island
Lantau Island
Lantau Island , based on the old local name of Lantau Peak , is the largest island in Hong Kong, located at the mouth of the Pearl River. Administratively, most of Lantau Island is part of the Islands District of Hong Kong...
, known as the Rose Garden Project (玫瑰園計劃 see Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International Airport is the main airport in Hong Kong. It is colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport , being built on the island of Chek Lap Kok by land reclamation, and also to distinguish it from its predecessor, the closed Kai Tak Airport.The airport opened for commercial...
). The proposal was created out of concern that the then-current airport at Kai Tak
Kai Tak Airport
Kai Tak Airport was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. It was officially known as the Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, when it was closed and replaced by the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok, 30 km to the west...
, which had been in use since the beginning of Aviation in Hong Kong, was not equipped to handle modern aviation needs.
Wilson left Hong Kong in June 1992 following the completion of his five year term as Governor. Before his retirement Wilson embarked on political reforms that paved the way for eighteen legislators of the Legislative Council
Legislative Council of Hong Kong
The Legislative Council is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.-History:The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was set up in 1843 as a colonial legislature under British rule...
to be directly elected by the people of Hong Kong.
Post-governorship
After his governorship and the elevation to a life peerage with the title Baron Wilson of Tillyorn, of FinzeanFinzean
Finzean is a rural community, electoral polling district, community council area and former ecclesiastical parish, which forms the southern part of the Parish of Birse, Aberdeenshire, Scotland...
in the District of Kincardine and Deeside
Kincardine and Deeside
Kincardine and Deeside was formerly a local government district inthe Grampian Region of Scotland.In 1996 it was included in the Aberdeenshire unitary area.-History:...
and of Fanling
Fanling
Fanling , also known as Fan Ling and Fan Leng, is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the North District...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
in 1991, Wilson became the Chairman of the energy company Scottish Hydro Electric
Scottish Hydro Electric
Scottish Hydro plc was a Public Electricity Supplier formed on 1 August 1989 after a change of name from North of Scotland Electricity plc on that date...
plc. (later Scottish and Southern Energy) based in Perth, Scotland
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
from 1993 - 2000. He was a member of the Board of the British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
(and Chairman of its Scottish Committee) from 1993–2002; a Director of the Martin Currie Pacific Trust from 1993–2002 and Chairman of the Trustees of the National Museums of Scotland
National Museums of Scotland
National Museums Scotland is the organization that runs several national museums of Scotland. It is one of the country's National Collections, and holds internationally important collections of natural sciences, decorative arts, world cultures, science and technology, and Scottish history and...
from 2002-06. In 1996 he was appointed a Vice-President of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society
Royal Scottish Geographical Society
The Royal Scottish Geographical Society is a learned society founded in 1884 and based in Perth. The Society has a membership of 2500 and aims to advance the science of geography worldwide by supporting education, research, expeditions, through its journal , its newsletter and other publications...
; and he has been Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
since 1997. He was President of the Bhutan Society of the UK (1993–2008), the Hong Kong Society (1994- ) and the Hong Kong Association (1994- ). Wilson was made a Knight of the Thistle
Order of the Thistle
The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the Order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland who asserted that he was reviving an earlier Order...
in 2000. He served as Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the oldest college of the University, having been founded in 1284 by Hugo de Balsham, Bishop of Ely...
from 2002 to 2008. Since October 2008 he has been President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
; Sir John Arbuthnott
John Peebles Arbuthnott
Sir John Peebles Arbuthnott is a Scottish microbiologist, and was Principal of the University of Strathclyde. He succeeded Lord Wilson of Tillyorn as President of The Royal Society of Edinburgh in October 2011....
has been elected as his successor. In January 2010 he was appointed Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the British Sovereign's personal representative to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland , reflecting the Church's role as the national church of Scotland, and the Sovereign's role as protector and member of...
for 2010.
Places named after him
The 78-kilometre Wilson TrailWilson Trail
The Wilson Trail is a 78 km long-distance footpath in Hong Kong, only 15 km run through non-park countryside or other areas. It was named after David Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn, who was Governor of Hong Kong from 1987 to 1992. The Wilson Trail was developed by Friends of the...
, 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.
Personal life
Wilson has been married to Natasha Helen Mary since 1967. They have two sons, Peter (a diplomat) and Andrew (a Church of England clergyman).Criticisms
Wilson was criticised by the pro-democracy camp for not moving more quickly towards a fully elected Legislature based on universal suffrage and for paying too much attention to the views of the Government in China in agreeing arrangements for a process of increasing the number of fully elected seats up to and beyond the transfer of sovereignty in 1997.Honours
- KTOrder of the ThistleThe Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the Order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland who asserted that he was reviving an earlier Order...
- GCMGOrder of St Michael and St GeorgeThe Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
- Honorary Fellowship of Keble College from 1986/87
- Honorary degrees from the University of Aberdeen (19??), University of Sydney (1991), University of Abertay Dundee (1994), Chinese University of Hong Kong (1996) and the University of Hong Kong (2006)
Styles
- Mr. David Wilson (1935–1973)
- Dr. David Wilson (1973–1987)
- Sir David Wilson, KCMG (1987–1991)
- The Rt Hon. The Lord Wilson of Tillyorn, GCMG (1991–2000)
- The Rt Hon. The Lord Wilson of Tillyorn, KT, GCMG (since 2000)