Hormusjee Naorojee Mody
Encyclopedia
Sir Hormusjee Naorojee Mody (12 October 1838 – 16 June 1911) was a successful Parsi businessman in Hong Kong
.
s based in Hong Kong, including Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala
, who founded the Star Ferry
and Jehangir Hormujee Ruttonjee who helped establish the Hong Kong Ruttonjee Sanatorium. Much of the community initially engaged in the opium
trade between India
and China.
Mody arrived in Hong Kong in 1858 with help from his uncle Jehangirjee Buxey
After working at Buxey and Company and later Bank of Hindustan, China and Japan, Mody and Sir Catchick Paul Chater
formed the brokerage company Chater & Mody which enjoyed great success in the real estate/land business. Mody saw the potential of buying and developing land in Kowloon
after it was ceded to the British
in 1860.
and his wife Flora Shaw
, who wished to found a university in Hong Kong. Mody offered to contribute a great sum of money, $150,000, to help establish the University of Hong Kong, provided it was matched by donations from other sources. He was knighted in 1910 after the laying of the university's foundation stone. His bust is on display as a memorial in the University of Hong Kong's Main Building.
Mody died in Hong Kong in 1911 and is buried in the Hong Kong Parsee Cemetery in Happy Valley
. He was survived by wife Manekbai Mody and son Naoroj Mody (one of four sons).
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...
.
Biography
He was born in Bombay and moved to Hong Kong around 1860. At the time there was a large community of Parsi merchantMerchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
s based in Hong Kong, including Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala
Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala
Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala was an Indian Parsee businessman in Hong Kong. In his early business life, he sold opium from Bombay, India to China.-Founding of the Star Ferry:...
, who founded the Star Ferry
Star Ferry
The Star Ferry, or The "Star" Ferry Company, is a passenger ferry service operator in Hong Kong. Its principal routes carry passengers across Victoria Harbour, between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon...
and Jehangir Hormujee Ruttonjee who helped establish the Hong Kong Ruttonjee Sanatorium. Much of the community initially engaged in the opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
trade between India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and China.
Mody arrived in Hong Kong in 1858 with help from his uncle Jehangirjee Buxey
After working at Buxey and Company and later Bank of Hindustan, China and Japan, Mody and Sir Catchick Paul Chater
Catchick Paul Chater
Sir Catchick Paul Chater, CMG , was a prominent British businessman of Armenian descent in colonial Hong Kong.-Early life:...
formed the brokerage company Chater & Mody which enjoyed great success in the real estate/land business. Mody saw the potential of buying and developing land in Kowloon
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
after it was ceded to the British
Convention of Peking
The Convention of Peking or the First Convention of Peking is the name used for three different unequal treaties, which were concluded between Qing China and the United Kingdom, France, and Russia.-Background:...
in 1860.
Contribution towards founding of University of Hong Kong
Mody was a friend of the Hong Kong Governor, Sir Frederick LugardFrederick Lugard
Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard GCMG, CB, DSO, PC , known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and 1928, was a British soldier, mercenary, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator, who was Governor of Hong Kong and Governor-General of Nigeria .-Early life and education:Lugard...
and his wife Flora Shaw
Flora Shaw
Dame Flora Louisa Shaw, Lady Lugard, DBE , the daughter of an English father, Captain George Shaw and a French mother, Marie Desfontaines, was a British journalist and writer...
, who wished to found a university in Hong Kong. Mody offered to contribute a great sum of money, $150,000, to help establish the University of Hong Kong, provided it was matched by donations from other sources. He was knighted in 1910 after the laying of the university's foundation stone. His bust is on display as a memorial in the University of Hong Kong's Main Building.
Namesakes
Several places in Hong Kong are named after him:- Mody RoadMody RoadMody Road is a road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is named after Hormusjee Naorojee Mody who invested in and developed Tsim Sha Tsui.-Location:...
and Mody Square in Tsim Sha TsuiTsim Sha TsuiTsim Sha Tsui , often abbreviated as TST, is an urbanized area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsim Sha Tsui...
Resting place
Happy Valley, Hong Kong
Happy Valley is a mostly residential suburb of Hong Kong, located in the northern part of Hong Kong Island. Administratively, it is part of Wan Chai District....
. He was survived by wife Manekbai Mody and son Naoroj Mody (one of four sons).