ROBERT BROWN BLACK

'Sir Robert Brown Black' GCMG, OBE (Chinese: 柏立基, 1906 - October 29, 1999) was a British colonial governor. He was Governor of Hong Kong from January 23, 1958 to April 1,1964, having been Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong from 1952 - 1955. He served as Governor of Singapore from 1955 to 1957.

Contents

Colonial Administration Career

Post-Governorship

Places Named After Him

Colonial Administration Career

Sir Robert Brown Black served in the administration of Britain's colonies for more than 30 years. During World War II, he spent several years in a Japanese prison camp in Malaysia.
After the war ended, he returned to the colonial service and served in North Borneo and Hong Kong before moving on to Singapore as Governor (1955-57). Subsequently, he became Governor of Hong Kong from 1958 to 1964.
During his governorship, Hong Kong became increasingly prosperous, despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of refugees were illegally crossing the border from mainland China every year. Although this influx placed an enormous burden on the colonial authorities, Black repeatedly appealed to the British Government for help in housing the refugees. In this, he was largely successful.
During Black's administration, Hong Kong also experienced severe drought, with water available for only 3-4 hours per day, creating a certain amount of hardship.

Post-Governorship

Black was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1962. He died on October 29, 1999.

Places Named After Him

Robert Black Health Center in San Po Kong, Hong Kong, as well as the Black Teacher's College were named after him.