F. L. Hawks (Francis Lister Hawks) Pott

author

F. L. Hawks (Francis Lister Hawks) Pott

1864–1947

An American Episcopal missionary and educator who spent decades in Shanghai, he wrote firsthand books about China at a time of upheaval and change. His work blends lived experience, religious commitment, and close attention to education and public life.

1 Audiobook

Lessons in the Shanghai Dialect

Lessons in the Shanghai Dialect

by F. L. Hawks (Francis Lister Hawks) Pott

About the author

Born in 1864, Francis Lister Hawks Pott was an American Episcopal priest, missionary, and writer whose life became closely tied to China. After graduating from Columbia, he went to Shanghai in the late 19th century and became one of the best-known figures in Anglican education there.

Pott is especially remembered for his long leadership of St. John's University in Shanghai, where he served for many years as president. His career joined teaching, church work, and administration, and he played a major role in shaping one of the most important Christian universities in China during that era.

He also wrote several books on China, including works on education, trade, and the political crises of the early 20th century. Those writings make him notable not just as a missionary leader, but as an observer who tried to explain a changing China to English-language readers before his death in 1947.