Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Matthew Nathan GCMG PC (Ire) was a British soldier and colonial administrator who variously served as the governor of Sierra Leone, Gold Coast, Hong Kong, Natal and Queensland.
In 1903, Nathan was appointed (as the 13th) Governor of Hong Kong (Chinese name: 弥敦), a position he would serve from 29 July 1904 – 29 July 1907. During his tenure, Nathan made use of his engineering background to establish a central urban planning and reconstruction policy.
He built a major thoroughfare in the marshy area of the Kowloon Peninsula; derided at the time as "Nathan's Folly", it developed into a major shopping avenue, afterwards named Nathan Road. The construction of the Kowloon-Canton Railway started in this period.
Source and further reading: Matthew Nathan - Wikipedia
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