Francis Chomley
John Francis Chomley | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1822-05-22 Ireland |
| Died | 1892-04-14 |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, businessman, legislator |
| Known for | First chairman of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Company; member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong |
John Francis Chomley (22 May 1822 – 14 April 1892) was an Irish entrepreneur who operated in Hong Kong and China during the mid-1800s. He held the distinction of being the inaugural chairman of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Company and was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong.
Early life and education
As the eldest child of Reverend Francis Chomley, Rural Dean of County Wicklow, and Magdalene Hanna, John pursued legal studies at Trinity College, Dublin beginning in 1838. His fascination with China was influenced by family ties, particularly through his stepmother’s father, Richard Griffith M.P., who had previously retired from commerce in the East Indies and China.
Business career
Chomley rose to become senior partner at Dent & Co., one of Hong Kong’s prominent early trading houses. The company’s former senior partner, Lancelot Dent, was involved in opium trafficking, a factor that played a role in igniting the First Opium War.
In 1861, following John Dent’s resignation, Chomley assumed a seat on the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, serving as Senior Unofficial Member between 1864 and 1866. During Dent’s absence in 1861, he also fulfilled duties as consul for the Kingdom of Sardinia.
As an original member of the provisional committee that established the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Company, Chomley presided over its initial meeting on 6 August 1864 and became its first chairman in 1865.
Dent & Co. faced insolvency in 1867 amidst a worldwide financial downturn originating in London in 1866. The firm endured losses exceeding £200,000 due to fraudulent activities by a Portuguese clerk based in Shanghai. Bankruptcy was officially declared in Hong Kong’s Supreme Court on 29 June 1867. Subsequently, Chomley shifted his main office from Shanghai and sold the Dent Building to the Hong Kong Hotel Company.
Later life and death
After concluding his role as Her Britannic Majesty's Consul in Hong Kong in 1868, Chomley retired to his residence, Clermont, located in Rathnew, County Wicklow. He cohabited with his unmarried sister Lucy (1825–1914) and passed away unmarried on 14 April 1892. His final resting place is at the Wicklow Church of Ireland Churchyard, marked by a memorial plaque from Lucy noting "of Claremont, County Wicklow and Amoy, China."
His youngest half-brother, Charles Albert Chomley (1840–1862), had emigrated with their mother Mary and siblings to Melbourne, returning to Ireland aboard the S.S. Great Britain in 1860. At age 21, Charles gained experience in Chinese trade under Sir James Turing in Rotterdam. While traveling with Edward Turing (aged 19), both tragically drowned in Lake Neuchâtel. Charles had intended to join Francis in Hong Kong to participate in trade with China.