Sir Thomas Wade

Sir Thomas Francis Wade (/weɪd/; simplified Chinese: 威妥玛; traditional Chinese: 威妥瑪; pinyin: Wēi Tuǒmǎ; Wade–Giles: Wei¹ T'o³ Ma³) GCMG KCB (25 August 1818 – 31 July 1895), was a British diplomat and sinologist who produced the first Chinese textbook in English in 1867 that was later amended, extended and converted into the Wade-Giles romanization system for Mandarin Chinese by Herbert Giles in 1892.

Born in London, he was the son of Major Wade of the Black Watch and Anne Smythe (daughter of William Smythe) of Barbavilla, County Westmeath, Ireland. He was educated at the Cape, in Mauritius, at Harrow and at Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1838, his father purchased for him a commission in the 81st Foot. Exchanging (1839) into the 42nd Highlanders, he served with his regiment in the Ionian Islands, devoting his leisure to the congenial study of Italian and modern Greek.