William Herbert Vacher
Encyclopedia
William Herbert Vacher was a prominent British merchant and banker who was a member of the Shanghai Municipal Council, a chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, founding manager of the London branch of the The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.
. About 1855 Vacher married Elizabeth (born about 1833) at the Holy Trinity Church
in Shanghai
, China
. Subsequently Vacher and his wife had seven children, two of whom were born in China.
. By 1846 Vacher had become a member of the firm of Gilman, Bowman & Co. (Tae-ping), a British hong
established by Richard James Gilman and Abram Bowman as a tea trader in 1840, (later Gilman & Co. after the retirement of Bowman). In 1850 Vacher was listed as still resident in Canton.
By 1851 Vacher had transferred to Shanghai, where from 9 August he was an authorised representative of Gilmam, Bowman, & Co. Vacher was a member of the Shanghai Municipal Council from 1852 to at least 1856, where he was a member of the Committee to study the erection of a new building for the Shanghai Library in 1852, and also a member of Committee II: Assessments of Foreign-owned property. In August 1855 Vacher was still resident in Shanghai. In May 1856 Vacher and Charles Wills (died in Shanghai in 1857) were assigned the assets of bankrupt British merchant Peter Felix Richards
(died in China in 1868), which included the lugger
-rigged vessel the Margaret Mitchell, and the Richards Hotel and Restaurant
.
Vacher was a leading freemason, who was President of the North China Lodge of the United Grand Lodge of England in 1852 and 1855, presided over the first English Mark Masters Lodge of Shanghai on 15 December 1854. By 1859 Vacher was the chairman of the influential Shanghai British Chamber of Commerce.
In 1859 Vacher is listed as resident in Ningpo. Vacher's interest in Gilman & Co. ceased on 2 July 1860. Vacher retired as a partner in Gilman & Bowman in 1865.
In 1865 Vacher and his family returned to England, where he became the first manager of the London office of the newly established The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation later that year. In 1873 Vacher was forced to resign when it was discovered that he "had made disastrous speculations in South American railways, and had lost both on his own and the bank's account" £81,000.
By 1888 Vacher was a member of the Society for Psychical Research
(SPR), and living at 54 Addison Mansions, in Kensington
.
Early years and family
William Herbert Vacher was born in 1826 in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. About 1855 Vacher married Elizabeth (born about 1833) at the Holy Trinity Church
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Shanghai
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Shanghai is a Anglican Cathedral in Huangpu District, Shanghai.-History:Before the forced amalgamation of the Anglicanism in mainland China into the lianghui in 1958, it was an Anglican Cathedral of the Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui, the eldest in China...
in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Subsequently Vacher and his wife had seven children, two of whom were born in China.
Career
From 1844 Vacher was resident in Canton, ChinaGuangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
. By 1846 Vacher had become a member of the firm of Gilman, Bowman & Co. (Tae-ping), a British hong
The Hongs
The Hongs were major business houses in Canton and later Hong Kong with significant influence on patterns of consumerism, trade, manufacturing and other key areas of the economy...
established by Richard James Gilman and Abram Bowman as a tea trader in 1840, (later Gilman & Co. after the retirement of Bowman). In 1850 Vacher was listed as still resident in Canton.
By 1851 Vacher had transferred to Shanghai, where from 9 August he was an authorised representative of Gilmam, Bowman, & Co. Vacher was a member of the Shanghai Municipal Council from 1852 to at least 1856, where he was a member of the Committee to study the erection of a new building for the Shanghai Library in 1852, and also a member of Committee II: Assessments of Foreign-owned property. In August 1855 Vacher was still resident in Shanghai. In May 1856 Vacher and Charles Wills (died in Shanghai in 1857) were assigned the assets of bankrupt British merchant Peter Felix Richards
Peter Felix Richards
Peter Felix Richards was a prominent pioneer nineteenth-century Scottish merchant in post-Treaty of Nanjing Shanghai, and the founder of the Richards Hotel and Restaurant, the first foreign hotel in China, and the forerunner to the Astor House Hotel....
(died in China in 1868), which included the lugger
Lugger
A lugger is a class of boats, widely used as traditional fishing boats, particularly off the coasts of France, Scotland and England. It is a small sailing vessel with lugsails set on two or more masts and perhaps lug topsails.-Defining the rig:...
-rigged vessel the Margaret Mitchell, and the Richards Hotel and Restaurant
Astor House, Shanghai
The Astor House Hotel , known as the Pujiang Hotel in Chinese since 1959, which has been described as once "one of the famous hotels of the world", "the pride of Shanghai", "a landmark of modern Shanghai", and perhaps hyperbolically as "once the most luxurious hotel in the world", was the first...
.
Vacher was a leading freemason, who was President of the North China Lodge of the United Grand Lodge of England in 1852 and 1855, presided over the first English Mark Masters Lodge of Shanghai on 15 December 1854. By 1859 Vacher was the chairman of the influential Shanghai British Chamber of Commerce.
In 1859 Vacher is listed as resident in Ningpo. Vacher's interest in Gilman & Co. ceased on 2 July 1860. Vacher retired as a partner in Gilman & Bowman in 1865.
In 1865 Vacher and his family returned to England, where he became the first manager of the London office of the newly established The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation later that year. In 1873 Vacher was forced to resign when it was discovered that he "had made disastrous speculations in South American railways, and had lost both on his own and the bank's account" £81,000.
By 1888 Vacher was a member of the Society for Psychical Research
Society for Psychical Research
The Society for Psychical Research is a non-profit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand "events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal by promoting and supporting important research in this area" and to "examine allegedly paranormal phenomena...
(SPR), and living at 54 Addison Mansions, in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
.