Sir Thomas George Knox KCMG (11 January 1824 – 29 July 1887) was an Ulster-Scots soldier and a diplomat, serving as consul-general in

Siam Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

from 1868 to 1879.

Early life

Knox was the second but eldest surviving son of Rev. James Spencer Knox, D.D. (1789–1862), rector of

Maghera Maghera ( ; ) is a small town at the foot of the Glenshane Pass in Northern Ireland. Its population was 4,235 in the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. Formerly in the Barony (Ireland), barony of Loughinsholin within the historic County ...

County Londonderry County Londonderry (Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry (), is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, count ...

, and his wife, Clara, daughter of the Right Hon. John Beresford. He was born in 1824 at Northland House,

Dungannon Dungannon (, ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county (after Omagh) and had a population of 16,282 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2021 Census. The Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Counci ...

, the seat of his great-grandfather Thomas Knox, 1st Viscount Northland (1729–1818). His uncles and was grandson of William Knox,

bishop of Derry The Bishop of Derry is an episcopal title which takes its name after the monastic settlement originally founded at Daire Calgach and later known as Daire Colm Cille, Anglicised as Derry. In the Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in ...

(1762–1831). His uncles were

Thomas Knox, 1st Earl of Ranfurly Thomas Knox, 1st Earl of Ranfurly (5 August 1754 – 26 April 1840), styled The Honourable Thomas Knox between 1781 and 1818 and known as The Viscount Northland between 1818 and 1831, was an Irish peer and politician. Early life Ranfurly was th ...

(1754–1840); George Knox (1765–1827), MP for Dublin University; Charles Knox (1770–1825), Archdeacon of Armagh; and Edmund Knox (1772–1849), Bishop of Limerick.

Career

On 17 April 1840, Knox was appointed ensign of the 65th Foot and, on 7 October 1842, was promoted to a lieutenancy in the 98th Foot. After serving with the 98th Foot in China and India, Knox sold out in December 1848. He subsequently served with the Siamese Army from 1851 to 1857. Siam was under

Mongkut Mongkut (18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama IV. He reigned from 1851 until his death in 1868. The reign of Mongkut was marked by significant modernization ini ...

, who was opening the country to the West, and Knox functioned as a military adviser. He began by training the troops of

Pinklao Pinklao (; 4 September 1808 – 7 January 1866) was the viceroy of Siam. He was the younger brother of Mongkut, King Rama IV, who crowned him as a monarch with equal honor to himself. Early life Prince Chutamani was born on 4 September 1808, as ...

, who ranked as

Front Palace Krom Phra Ratchawang Bowon Sathan Mongkhon , colloquially known as the Front Palace (, ), was the title of the ''uparaja'' of Siam, variously translated as "viceroy", "vice king" or "Lord/Prince of the Front Palace", as the titleholder resided ...

. Knox was appointed interpreter at the British Consulate in Bangkok on 7 July 1857. He was acting consul there from December 1859 to May 1860, and was appointed consul on 30 November 1864. He was promoted to be consul-general in Siam on 18 July 1868, and agent and consul-general in Siam on 8 February 1875. In 1868,

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910), posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his death in 1910 was cha ...

succeeded Mongkut, and Knox became an influential court figure. In the Front Palace crisis of 1874–5, Knox was absent at the outset in the United Kingdom, when supporters of

Wichaichan Wichaichan () (6 April 1838 – 28 August 1885) was a Siamese prince and member of the Chakri dynasty. He was the eldest son of Viceroy Pinklao and Princess Aim, and thus nephew to King Mongkut (Rama IV). Wichaichan succeeded his father by ...

challenged Chulalongkorn, and consular staff did what they could to calm matters. In 1879, however, Knox lost status. A tense factional situation was precipitated into a power struggle when in March of that year Fanny Knox, his elder daughter, married a member of the royal family without the required permission. Knox found his position undermined when the British government refused to back him with military force. Knox retired on a pension on 26 November 1879, and was made KCMG in April 1880. He died at Eaux Chaudes in the French Pyrenees, on 29 July 1887.

Family

In 1854, Knox married a Siamese woman of high position, Prang, daughter of Phya (Count) Somkok and Mâe Yen of Somkok and Bangkok. Their younger daughter Caroline married Louis T. Leonowens.

References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Knox, Thomas George 1824 births 1887 deaths 65th Regiment of Foot officers British diplomats People from County Londonderry British expatriates in Thailand Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George 98th Regiment of Foot officers Thomas George