Francis George Atkinson

Francis G. Atkinson

Francis George Atkinson (* 1874 , Jersey , British Crown Properties ; † December 6, 1902 in Jesselton , British North Borneo ) was a British administrator. He was Jesselton's first District Officer .

Life

Atkinson was born in England in 1874 as the son of Rev. FH Atkinson in Jersey in the Channel Islands . He received his education at Victoria College in Jersey. He then spent some time in Australia before applying for the service in Borneo in March 1898. As early as January 1901, he was appointed District Officer of Jesselton. During his brief tenure, Atkinson gained great popularity among the local population and was widely known by the nickname West Coast Atky .

During Atkinson's tenure, the Jesselton Sanitary Board was created . According to the Sanitary Board Proclamation XXII of 1901, a Sanitary Board was to be formed in all major cities in North Borneo , whose task was to improve living conditions under health aspects. In addition to maintaining the lighting, faecal and sewage systems, the cemeteries and the market square, this also included the organization of garbage disposal and the planting of shady trees in the urban area. Jesselton was the first city to set up such a sanitary board in 1902; consisting of FG Atkinson (District Officer), Dr. Walter D. Perry (Medical Officer), HS Bond (Armed Constabulary), TR Allen (Head of Building Department), AW Routledge (Assistant District Officer) and four representatives of the citizenry.

After only one and a half years in office, Atkinson died on December 6, 1902, at the age of 28, of heart failure as a result of malaria , then also known as "Borneo fever".

Atkinson Clock Tower

Atkinson's mother, Mary Edith Atkinson, who inherited his estate after her son's death, gave the city of Jesselton a two-face clock in memory of her son, which the city installed in a clock tower made of tropical hardwood. The Atkinson Clock Tower survived two world wars and is now one of the few historic buildings in Kota Kinabalu .

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b The Straits Times: Mr. FG Atkinson ; Jan 10, 1903, page 2; Accessed March 23, 2013

^ Danny Wong Tze Ken : Historical Sabah: Community and Society , pp. 21-22, Natural History Publications, Kota Kinabalu, 2004, ISBN 983-812-090-1

^ The Straits Times, Sep. 3, 1903, p. 2

^ The Straits Times, Sept. 11, 1903, p. 6

^ The Straits Times, Aug. 26, 1903, p. 1

↑ The Straits Times: In the goods of Francis George Atkinson, deceased ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , August 11, 1903, page 1; Accessed March 23, 2013@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / newspapers.nl.sg

^ Stella Moo: The Atkinson Memorial Clock Tower - Commemorating its Centenary, Sabah Society Journal Vol 22, page 25, 2005

Remarks

↑ The four representatives of the citizenship were Chee Swee Cheng (the largest opium planter in the city), Chia Khay Soot (representative of the Chop Teck Kee trading house), Chong Fui Kim (representative of the Chop Kong Chong Long trading house) and Chua Chin (an influential merchant) .
↑ The information on the day Atkinson's death differed. The statement "December 28, 1902" in the Sabah Society Journal is without reference to a reference. The indication of December 4th in the Straits Times is not explicitly referred to as the day of death, but rather from reading the conclusion that this is the date on which the Atkinson malaria episode began. The day of death on December 6, 1902 is published by the estate administrator in a total of four different editions of The Straits Times: August 11 on page 1, August 26 on page 1, September 3 on page 2 and September 11, 1903 Page 6 specified. December 6th is the conclusive date of death.

personal data
SURNAME	Atkinson, Francis George
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	West Coast Atky
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	British administrator
DATE OF BIRTH	1874
PLACE OF BIRTH	Jersey , British Crown Holdings
DATE OF DEATH	December 6, 1902
Place of death	Jesselton , British North Borneo

[TST-1] The Straits Times: Mr. FG Atkinson ; Jan 10, 1903, page 2; Accessed March 23, 2013

[3] Danny Wong Tze Ken : Historical Sabah: Community and Society , pp. 21-22, Natural History Publications, Kota Kinabalu, 2004, ISBN 983-812-090-1

[5] The Straits Times, Sep. 3, 1903, p. 2

[6] The Straits Times, Sept. 11, 1903, p. 6

[7] The Straits Times, Aug. 26, 1903, p. 1

[2] The four representatives of the citizenship were Chee Swee Cheng (the largest opium planter in the city), Chia Khay Soot (representative of the Chop Teck Kee trading house), Chong Fui Kim (representative of the Chop Kong Chong Long trading house) and Chua Chin (an influential merchant) .

[4] The information on the day Atkinson's death differed. The statement "December 28, 1902" in the Sabah Society Journal is without reference to a reference. The indication of December 4th in the Straits Times is not explicitly referred to as the day of death, but rather from reading the conclusion that this is the date on which the Atkinson malaria episode began. The day of death on December 6, 1902 is published by the estate administrator in a total of four different editions of The Straits Times: August 11 on page 1, August 26 on page 1, September 3 on page 2 and September 11, 1903 Page 6 specified. December 6th is the conclusive date of death.