1. Cecil Clementi attended St Paul's School and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he studied Sanskrit and the classics.
17 Facts About Cecil Clementi
1. 2.
Cecil Clementi received honorable mentions for the Hertford, Ireland and Craven scholarships.
3.
In 1899, Cecil Clementi placed fourth in the competitive examinations for the civil service, which allowed him his choice of postings.
4.
Cecil Clementi's choice was Hong Kong, and upon his arrival he was sent up to Canton, where he was a land officer until forced to return to Hong Kong by the events of the Boxer Rebellion.
5.
Cecil Clementi played a part in the founding of the University of Hong Kong.
6.
In 1913, Cecil Clementi was appointed colonial secretary of British Guiana, a post he held until 1922.
7.
In 1925, Cecil Clementi was appointed as Governor of Hong Kong, a position to which his fluency in Cantonese suited him well and in which he served until 1930.
8.
Cecil Clementi notably ended the practice of Mui Tsai, the traditional Chinese "female maid servitude" system which often resulted in the abuse of young servant girls.
9.
Cecil Clementi appointed Shouson Chow, a prominent Chinese merchant, as the first unofficial member of the Executive Council.
10.
Cecil Clementi invited one Chinese and one Portuguese to be Unofficials.
11.
Cecil Clementi opposed Kuomintang's 1926 Northern Expedition against northern Chinese warlords and advocated British arms support to Peking, a move rejected by London.
12.
Cecil Clementi advocated for the training of more teachers in the Chinese language and the establishment of a Chinese Department at the University of Hong Kong.
13.
Cecil Clementi handed over to Sir Andrew Caldecott, who become acting Governor, and left for England due to his illness.
14.
Six years later, in 1940, Cecil Clementi became the Master of the Mercers' Company.
15.
Cecil Clementi was the great-grandson of the Italian-born musician Muzio Clementi.
16.
Cecil Clementi married Marie Penelope Rose Eyres, daughter of Admiral Cresswell John Eyres, in 1912.
17.
Cecil Clementi died in High Wycombe, England, on 5 April 1947.