Sir Thomas Southorn
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| Governor of the Gambia | |
| In office 22 October 1936 – 23 March 1942 | |
| Monarchs | Edward VIII George VI |
| Preceded by | Arthur Richards |
| Succeeded by | Hilary Blood |
| Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong | |
| In office 1 May 1925 – 23 March 1936 | |
| Governor | Cecil Clementi William Peel Andrew Caldecott |
| Preceded by | Claud Severn |
| Succeeded by | Norman Lockhart Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 August 1879 |
| Died | 15 March 1957(1957-03-15) (aged 77) |
| Alma mater | Corpus Christi College, Oxford |
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| Thomas Southorn | |||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 修頓 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 修顿 | ||||||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 蕭敦 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 萧敦 | ||||||||||||
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Sir Wilfrid Thomas Southorn KCMG KBE (4 August 1879 – 15 March 1957) (Chinese Translated Name: 修頓, Old Translated Name:蕭敦), known as Tom, was a British colonial administrator, spending the large part of his career in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) before serving as Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong, then Governor of The Gambia.
He was educated at Warwick School and Corpus Christi College, Oxford.[1]
He had joined the Ceylon Civil Service in 1903, and was appointed Additional Assistant Colonial Secretary in 1909, Principal Assistant Colonial Secretary in 1920, and Principal Collector of Customs and Chairman of the Post Commission in 1923.[1]
He was the Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong from 1925 to 1936 and served as Acting Administrator of the colony from February to March 1930 and from May to September 1935, and then in November the same year, at either end of the tenure of Sir William Peelasgovernor.[2] His official (summer) residence was Mountain Lodge.[3]
In 1936, he was made Governor of the Gambia, notably describing the colony as "a geographical and economic absurdity".[3] He left The Gambia in March 1942.[4]
In 1921 he married author Bella Sidney Woolf (1877–1960), whom he met through her (later) more famous brother Leonard Woolf, when the two men were colleagues in Ceylon. In 1904, then a humble 'Office Assistant', Southorn had met Leonard Woolf on his arrival in Ceylon from England.[3][5]
Southorn PlaygroundinWan Chai, Hong Kong was named for him in 1934, while he was Colonial Secretary. Also bearing his name are the associated Southorn Stadium and adjacent Southorn Centre.[2]
| Government offices | ||
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| Preceded by Sir Claud Severn |
Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong 1925–1936 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Sir Cecil Clementi |
Acting Administrator of Hong Kong 1930 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Acting Administrator of Hong Kong 1935 |
Succeeded by Acting Administrator Norman Smith |
| Preceded by Acting Administrator Norman Smith |
Acting Administrator of Hong Kong 1935 |
Succeeded by Sir Andrew Caldecott |
| Preceded by | Governor of The Gambia 1936–1942 |
Succeeded by |
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| Commandants of St Mary's Island (1816–1830) |
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| Lieutenant Governors of the Gambia (1829–1843) |
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| Governors of the Gambia (1843–1866) |
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| Administrators of the Gambia (1866–1901) |
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| Governors of the Gambia (1901–1965) |
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* Includes Chief Secretaries and Colonial Secretaries | |
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