Sir Reginald Edward Stubbs (13 October 1876 – 7 December 1947) was a British colonial administrator who governed four British territories during his career, including Hong Kong and Ceylon. He served as the Governor of Hong Kong from 1919 to 1925. During Stubbs' tenure, Hong Kong experienced frequent strikes, some of which severely impacted the local economy, such as the Seamen's strike of 1922 and the Canton-Hong Kong strike in 1925. Stubbs engaged in diplomatic talks with Sun Yat-sen and his supporters in Hong Kong before Sun's successful return to Canton in February 1923. In 1925, a general strike broke out, with workers in both Hong Kong and Canton demanding the annulment of the "unequal treaties" (Treaty of Nanking, Treaty of Peking, and the New Territories lease) that gave Britain control over Hong Kong, as well as better treatment for Chinese labourers. Initially, Stubbs attempted to suppress the strike using legal and forceful measures, viewing it as a Bolshevik plot orchestrated by Dr. Sun Yat-sen to overthrow colonial rule, without addressing the economic concerns of the workers. He banned the Chinese Seamen’s Union, which led the strike, as well as Dr. Sun and Soviet advisers in Canton from entering Hong Kong. This approach backfired, leading to the exodus of over 100,000 Chinese labourers to China. Stubbs maintained a conservative stance on the issue of mui-tsai, a form of child slavery, which was prevalent in Hong Kong at the time. His leniency on the issue drew criticism from London. He also rejected calls from the local European community for direct elections to the Legislative Council, fearing that the exclusion of local Chinese would fuel unrest. In 1925, both Stubbs and his Colonial Secretary, Claud Severn, were replaced after failing to resolve the unrest and leaving Hong Kong’s economy severely damaged. British Consul General in Canton, James Jamieson, criticized their leadership, noting their detachment, lack of Chinese language skills, and ignorance of the republican changes in China. During his tenure, Stubbs also earned an M.A. degree in 1920.

Edward Stubbs - Wikipedia