William John Napier, 9th Lord Napier - Definition and Overview

William John Napier, 9th Lord Napier (1786 - October 11, 1834) was a Royal Navy officer, politician and diplomat.

He was the son of Francis Napier, 8th Lord Napier (1758-1823) and the father of Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier and 1st Baron Ettrick (1819-1898).

William John Napier served during the battle of Trafalgar (1805) as a midshipman. He later served as Lieutenant under Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald.

A peer of Scotland, Lord Napier was an elected Scottish representative in the House of Lords from 1824 to 1832.

In 1834, Lord Napier was appointed the first Chief Superintendent of Trade at Canton (now Guangzhou), in China. The Second and Third Superintendents were John Francis Davis and Sir George Best Robinson, respectively. Lord Napier arrived at Macau in July 1834.

External links and references

• The Napier Affair (1834) (http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~jobrien/reference/ob35.html)
• Frank Welsh, Maya Rao (Editor): A Borrowed Place: The History of Hong Kong (1996) ISBN 1568361343