Walter Henry Medhurst (consul) facts for kids

Sir Walter Henry Medhurst (1822–1885) was an important British diplomat who worked in China. A diplomat is someone who represents their country in another country, helping to manage relationships and solve problems.

Walter Medhurst was the son of a well-known British missionary, also named Walter Henry Medhurst. Young Walter went to school at Blundell's School in England and later in Macau. While in Macau, he became very good at speaking Chinese, Dutch, and Malay. These language skills were very helpful for his future career.

In October 1840, Walter Medhurst became the Chinese secretary for the British superintendent of trade in China. This meant he helped with communications and business between Britain and China. He also helped explore the new British colony of British Hong Kong in early 1841. During the First Opium War, he worked with important leaders like Rear-Admiral George Elliot and Sir Henry Pottinger.

Walter Medhurst's Diplomatic Career

After the war, Walter Medhurst held many important jobs as a consul in Chinese cities. A consul is a government official who lives in a foreign city to protect the interests of their own country's citizens. He worked in places like Fuzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Hankou.

As a consul, Medhurst was known for strongly defending British interests in China. He believed it was important to protect British trade and citizens.

Later Life and Achievements

Walter Medhurst married three times during his life.

In 1868, he was sent to help resolve a conflict known as the Yangzhou riot. He worked to calm the situation, though some people in Britain later criticized his actions.

Medhurst retired from his work as a consul on January 1, 1877. A few months later, on March 20, he was made a knight, which means he was given the title "Sir" for his service.

In 1881, he helped start the British North Borneo Company. He moved back to Hong Kong in 1882 and lived there for about a year and a half.

He returned to England in 1884 and passed away in Torquay on December 26, 1885. He left behind a son and at least two daughters.

Sources

• C. A. Harris, "Medhurst, Sir Walter Henry (1822–1885)," rev. T. G. Otte, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2007, accessed 3 Aug 2007.
• F.J Snell, "The chronicles of Twyford, being a new and popular history of the town of Tiverton in Devonshire: with some account of Blundell's School founded A.D. 1604", Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co, Limited, 1892.