Thomas Hart-Davies

Who was Thomas Hart-Davies?

Thomas Hart-Davies was a British colonial administrator and Liberal politician.

He was the son of the Venerable Thomas Hart-Davies, vicar of Christchurch, Ramsgate, Kent and former Archdeacon of Melbourne, Australia. Following education at Marlborough College and Pembroke College, Oxford, he passed the Indian Civil Service examinations in 1867.

He served for twenty-eight years in the Bombay Presidency, mainly in the Sind Division. Over his career he was an educational inspector, manager of encumbered estates, district magistrate, judge of the Karachi District and acting Judicial Commissioner. He was viewed as a progressive administrator, joining the British Committee of the Indian National Congress and supporting the Morley-Minto Reforms.

He returned to the United Kingdom, and became involved in Liberal politics. In 1900 he unsuccessfully stood as parliamentary candidate for the Rotherhithe constituency. He was re-selected as prospective Liberal candidate, but in 1903 he resigned the candidacy due to an eye condition. By 1905 he had recovered sufficiently to be the Liberal candidate at Hackney North.