HART, SIR ROBERT, 1ST BART., cr. 1893 (I83 5—I9II), Irish-Chinese statesman, was born at Portadown, Co. Armagh, on Feb. 20, 1835. He was educated at Taunton, Dublin and Belfast, and graduated at Queen's College, Belfast, in 1853. In the follow ing year he received an appointment as student-interpreter in the China consular service, and after serving for a short time at the Ningpo vice-consulate, he was transferred to Canton, where after acting as secretary to the allied commissioners governing the city, he was appointed the local inspector of customs. There he first gained an insight into custom-house work. One effect of the Tai ping rebellion was to close the native custom-house at Shanghai; and it was arranged by Sir Rutherford Alcock, the British consul, with his French and American colleagues, that they should under take to collect the duties on goods owned by foreigners entering and leaving the port. Sir T. Wade was appointed to the post of collector in the first instance, and after a short tenure of office was succeeded by Mr. H. N. Lay, who held the post until 1863. The system adopted at Shanghai was applied to the other treaty ports, so that when on Lay's resignation Hart was appointed inspector general of foreign customs, the organization collected a revenue of upwards of eight million taels per annum at fourteen treaty ports. During Hart's tenure of the office the revenue of the department grew from upwards of eight million taels to nearly twenty-seven million, collected at the thirty-two treaty ports, and the customs staff, which in 1864 numbered 200, reached in 1901 a total of 5,134. From the first Hart gained the entire con fidence of the Chinese government; of all their numerous sources of revenue, the money furnished by Hart was the only certain asset which could be offered as security for Chinese loans. The British minister, as well as the ministers of other powers, con stantly consulted him, and in 1885 Granville gazetted him British minister plenipotentiary at Peking, which appointment he did not take up. His confidence in the Chinese made him turn a deaf ear to the warnings which he received of the threatening Boxer movement in 1900. To the last he believed that the attacking force would at least have spared his house, which contained official records of priceless value, but he was mistaken. The building was burnt to the ground with all that it contained, excepting his private diary for forty years. When the stress came, and he retreated to the British legation, he took an active part in all the measures for the defence. Hart established a postal service in connection with the customs, which gradually developed into the regular postal service of China of which he was Inspector General.
The appointment of Sir Robert Hart as Inspector-General of the imperial maritime customs secured the interests of European investors in Chinese securities, and helped to place Chinese finance generally on a solid footing. When, therefore, in May 1906 the Chinese government appointed a Chinese administrator and assist ant administrator of the entire customs of China, who would control Sir Robert Hart and his staff, great anxiety was aroused. Hart obtained formal leave of absence of two years and returned to Europe in the spring of 1908, when he received the title of president of the board of customs. At the end of this period he tendered his resignation to the Chinese Government who refused to accept it and extended his leave. He died, whilst still on leave, on September 20, 1911, at Great Marlow, Bucks. Sir Robert married in 1866, Hester, daughter of Alexander Bredon of Portadown.
See Juliet Bredon, Sir Robert Hart (19o9) .