John Bowring
| Sir John Bowring | |
|---|---|
John Bowring in 1826
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| 4th Governor of Hong Kong | |
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In office 13 April 1854 – 9 September 1859 |
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| Preceded by | Sir George Bonham |
| Succeeded by | Hercules Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead |
| Member of Parliament | |
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In office 1835–1837 |
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| Preceded by | John Dunlop |
| Succeeded by | John Campbell Colquhoun |
| Constituency | Kilmarnock Burghs |
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In office 1841–1849 |
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| Preceded by |
Peter Ainsworth William Bolling |
| Succeeded by |
Stephen Blair Joshua Walmsley |
| Constituency | Bolton |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
17 October 1792 Exeter, England |
| Died | 23 November 1872 (aged 80) Claremont, England |
| Political party | Radical |
| Spouse(s) | Maria Lewin (m. 1816 – d. 1858) Deborah Castle (m. 1860, survived) |
| Children |
John Charles Bowring, Lewin Bentham Bowring, Edgar Alfred Bowring |
| Profession | Member of Parliament (UK) |
| Religion | Unitarian |
Sir John Bowring, KCB (Chinese translated name: 寶寧, 寶靈 or 包令) (17 October 1792 – 23 November 1872) was an English political economist, traveller, writer, literary translator, polyglot, and the fourth Governor of Hong Kong.
Bowring was born in Exeter of Charles Bowring (1769–1856), a wool merchant from an old Unitarian family, and Sarah Jane Anne (d. 1828), the daughter of Thomas Lane, vicar of St Ives, Cornwall. His last formal education was a Unitarian school in Moretonhampstead and he started work in his father's business at age 13. Bowring at one stage wished to become a minister. In early life he came under the influence of Jeremy Bentham, and later became his friend. He did not, however, share Bentham's contempt for belles lettres. He was a diligent student of literature and foreign languages, especially those of Eastern Europe.
Bowring ranked with Giuseppe Caspar Mezzofanti and Hans Conon von der Gabelentz among the world's greatest hyperpolyglots – his talent enabling him at last to say that he knew 200 languages, and could speak 100. His chief literary work was the translation of the folk-songs of most European nations, although he also wrote original poems and hymns, as well as works on political and economic subjects. The first fruits of his study of foreign literature appeared in Specimens of the Russian Poets (1821–1823). These were followed by Batavian Anthology (1824), Ancient Poetry and Romances of Spain (1824), Specimens of the Polish Poets, and Serbian Popular Poetry, both in 1827, and Poetry of the Magyars (1830).
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