Sir George William Des Vœux GCMG was a British colonial administrator who served as governor of Fiji (1880–1885), Newfoundland (1886–1887), and Hong Kong (1887–1891).
He was the descendant of a French Huguenot who immigrated to Ireland in the early 18th century. His father was Reverend Henry Des Vœux who lived at the time of William's birth in Baden-Baden, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Confederation.
He served as the tenth governor of Hong Kong. During his tenure, the Peak Tram started operation in 1888. That same year in November, he issued an order reserving certain European neighborhoods, which prohibited all Chinese tenants from residing in the higher-elevation parts of the city.
In 1903, he published his memoirs called My Colonial Service in British Guiana, St. Lucia, Trinidad, Fiji, Australia, Newfoundland, and Hong Kong with Interludes.
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