John Ernest Buttery Hotson
Encyclopedia
Sir John Ernest Buttery Hotson, KCSI
, OBE, VD
(17 March 1877 – 13 May 1944) was an administrator in India
during the British Raj
. Born in Glasgow
to Hamilton and Margaret (Maggie) Hotson, he was educated at Edinburgh Academy
(1889–1895) and Magdalen College, Oxford
, graduating BA in 1899, and MA (1905). He immediately joined the Indian Civil Service, being appointed Superintendent of Managed Estates in Kathiawar
. His entire career was devoted to the administration of the province known as the Bombay Presidency
. Subsequent positions included Under-Secretary to the Government of Bombay (Political and Judicial Departments), 1907; Collector, 1920; Secretary of the Political Department, 1922; Chief Secretary to the Government, 1924; Member of the Executive Council (MEC) of Bombay, 1926–31; and rising to become Home Member and Acting Governor of Bombay, 1931. He was appointed OBE on 3 June 1918, Companion of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India
(CSI) in the New Year Honours, 1926, and elevated to Knight Commander (KCSI) in 1930.
and Persia, attaining the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. Hotson was a dedicated naturalist who "collected plants in Persian Baluchistan and Makran coast, 1916-18, which were sent to Father Blatter
in Bombay". His collections of mammal specimens from the same region during this period was described by the noted British zoologist Oldfield Thomas
, FRS, who noted:
Thomas then lists seven new species, two of which, Hotson's Jerboa
(Allactaga hotsoni) and Hotson's Mouse-like Hamster
(Calomyscus hotsoni) he names after their collector.
Hotson acted as Consul at Shiraz (Persia) between 1918 and 1920, during which time he continued his collecting of native mammals. The specimens he collected between February and August 1919 were described by Major R.E. Cheesman
, MBOU, FRGS, and included a new species of Persian Vole
(Microtus irani).
, was not always followed, especially within the Presidency (State) of Maharashtra
that surrounded Bombay. After the arrest of the national leaders Khurshed Nariman
and Jamnalal Bajaj
on 8 May 1930, mass demonstrations in the district of Sholapur led the Collector, Mr Knight, to seek advice from Hotson who was now in Bombay as the Home Member. The visit resulted in the imposition of martial law on 12 May. Martial law was lifted on 30 June, however, a year later, on 22 July 1931, as Acting Governor of Bombay in the period after the departure of Sir Frederick Sykes
, Hotson was visiting the library of Fergusson College in Pune (Poona) when one of the students, Vasudeo Balwant Gogte (Gogate), attempted to assassinate him. The bullet was stopped by a metal stud on Hotson's clothes, and he escaped unharmed. When asked why he had shot at the Home Member, Gogte is reported to have said "As a protest against your tyrannical administration".
As well as a naturalist, Hotson was also a keen philatelist
, serving as President of the Philatelic Society of India
, and editor of the Philatelic Journal of India, 1923–28.
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
, OBE, VD
Volunteer Decoration
The Volunteer Officers' Decoration was created by Royal Warrant under command of Queen Victoria on 25 July 1892 to reward 'efficient and capable' officers of the Volunteer Force who had served for twenty years...
(17 March 1877 – 13 May 1944) was an administrator in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
during the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. Born in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
to Hamilton and Margaret (Maggie) Hotson, he was educated at Edinburgh Academy
Edinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is an independent school which was opened in 1824. The original building, in Henderson Row on the northern fringe of the New Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, is now part of the Senior School...
(1889–1895) and Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, graduating BA in 1899, and MA (1905). He immediately joined the Indian Civil Service, being appointed Superintendent of Managed Estates in Kathiawar
Kathiawar Agency
The Kathiawar Agency, on the Kathiawar peninsula in the western part of the Indian subcontinent, was a political unit of some 200 small princely states under the suzerainty of the Bombay Presidency of British India. Soon after India's independence in 1947, all but one of them acceded to the new...
. His entire career was devoted to the administration of the province known as the Bombay Presidency
Bombay Presidency
The Bombay Presidency was a province of British India. It was established in the 17th century as a trading post for the English East India Company, but later grew to encompass much of western and central India, as well as parts of post-partition Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula.At its greatest...
. Subsequent positions included Under-Secretary to the Government of Bombay (Political and Judicial Departments), 1907; Collector, 1920; Secretary of the Political Department, 1922; Chief Secretary to the Government, 1924; Member of the Executive Council (MEC) of Bombay, 1926–31; and rising to become Home Member and Acting Governor of Bombay, 1931. He was appointed OBE on 3 June 1918, Companion of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
(CSI) in the New Year Honours, 1926, and elevated to Knight Commander (KCSI) in 1930.
Naturalist
Hotson served in the Indian Army Reserve of Officers, 1915 to 1920, in BaluchistanBalochistan (region)
Balochistan or Baluchistan is an arid, mountainous region in the Iranian plateau in Southwest Asia; it includes part of southeastern Iran, western Pakistan, and southwestern Afghanistan. The area is named after the numerous Baloch tribes, Iranian peoples who moved into the area from the west...
and Persia, attaining the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. Hotson was a dedicated naturalist who "collected plants in Persian Baluchistan and Makran coast, 1916-18, which were sent to Father Blatter
Ethelbert Blatter
Ethelbert Blatter SJ was a Swiss Jesuit priest and pioneering botanist in British India. Author of five books and over sixty papers on the flora of the Indian subcontinent, he was Principal and Professor of Botany at St Xavier College, Bombay and Vice-President of the Bombay Natural History Society...
in Bombay". His collections of mammal specimens from the same region during this period was described by the noted British zoologist Oldfield Thomas
Oldfield Thomas
Oldfield Thomas FRS was a British zoologist.Thomas worked at the Natural History Museum on mammals, describing about 2,000 new species and sub-species for the first time. He was appointed to the Museum Secretary's office in 1876, transferring to the Zoological Department in 1878...
, FRS, who noted:
Among the fine series of Mammals from Baluchistan contributed by Col. J.E.B. Hotson to the Bombay Natural History Society there occur a number of interesting small mammals which have been put into my hands for examination. As a result the following new species seem to require description.
Thomas then lists seven new species, two of which, Hotson's Jerboa
Hotson's Jerboa
Hotson's Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family.It is found in Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan. Named by Oldfield Thomas after John Ernest Buttery Hotson who collected specimens in Baluchistan during 1918-1920....
(Allactaga hotsoni) and Hotson's Mouse-like Hamster
Hotson's Mouse-like Hamster
Hotson's Brush-tailed Mouse also known as Hotson's Calomyscus or Hotson's Mouse-like Hamster is a species of rodent in the Calomyscidae family....
(Calomyscus hotsoni) he names after their collector.
Hotson acted as Consul at Shiraz (Persia) between 1918 and 1920, during which time he continued his collecting of native mammals. The specimens he collected between February and August 1919 were described by Major R.E. Cheesman
R E Cheesman
Major Robert Ernest Cheesman, CBE was a military officer, explorer and ornithologist.Cheesman was Private Secretary to Sir Percy Sykes during his tenure as High Commissioner in Iraq....
, MBOU, FRGS, and included a new species of Persian Vole
Persian Vole
The Persian Vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.It is only found in Iran.-References:*Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns...
(Microtus irani).
Post-World War I service
In 1924 Hotson married Mildred Alice, daughter of Arthur Bennett Steward (a fellow member of the ICS); this coincides with his elevation to the position of Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay. This was a period of rising instability in India, that would lead eventually to its independence from the British crown in 1947. Mahatma Gandhi's theory of non-violent resistance to British rule, SatyagrahaSatyagraha
Satyagraha , loosely translated as "insistence on truth satya agraha soul force" or "truth force" is a particular philosophy and practice within the broader overall category generally known as nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. The term "satyagraha" was conceived and developed by Mahatma...
, was not always followed, especially within the Presidency (State) of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
that surrounded Bombay. After the arrest of the national leaders Khurshed Nariman
Khurshed Nariman
Khurshed Framji Nariman, also known as Veer Nariman, was one of the second generation of Parsi stalwarts in the Indian National Congress. He came into the public eye in 1928 as an independent and courageous politician for his sensational process against the British engineer involved in the Bombay...
and Jamnalal Bajaj
Jamnalal Bajaj
Jamnalal Bajaj was an Indian industrialist, a philanthropist, and Indian independence fighter. He was also a close associate and follower of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi is known to have adopted him as his son. Several institutions in India bears his name, including the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of...
on 8 May 1930, mass demonstrations in the district of Sholapur led the Collector, Mr Knight, to seek advice from Hotson who was now in Bombay as the Home Member. The visit resulted in the imposition of martial law on 12 May. Martial law was lifted on 30 June, however, a year later, on 22 July 1931, as Acting Governor of Bombay in the period after the departure of Sir Frederick Sykes
Frederick Sykes
Air Vice-Marshal The Right Honourable Sir Frederick Hugh Sykes GCSI, GCIE, GBE, KCB, CMG was a military officer, British statesman and politician....
, Hotson was visiting the library of Fergusson College in Pune (Poona) when one of the students, Vasudeo Balwant Gogte (Gogate), attempted to assassinate him. The bullet was stopped by a metal stud on Hotson's clothes, and he escaped unharmed. When asked why he had shot at the Home Member, Gogte is reported to have said "As a protest against your tyrannical administration".
As well as a naturalist, Hotson was also a keen philatelist
Philately
Philately is the study of stamps and postal history and other related items. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting, which does not necessarily involve the study of stamps. It is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps...
, serving as President of the Philatelic Society of India
Philatelic Society of India
The Philatelic Society of India was formed in 1897 by a group of, mainly, expatriate Englishmen resident in the country as the first all-India philatelic society...
, and editor of the Philatelic Journal of India, 1923–28.