Louis Leonowens | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 25 October 1856 |
| Died | 17 February 1919 (aged 62) |
| Resting place | Brompton Cemetery, London |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 2 |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Boris Karloff (first cousin once removed) |
Louis Thomas Gunnis Leonowens (25 October 1856 – 17 February 1919) was a British subject and youngest son of Anna Leonowens who grew up and worked in Siam (Thailand). Leonowens served as an officer in the Siamese Royal Cavalry, an agent for the Borneo Company in the teak trade of Northern Thailand, and founded a Thai trading company that still bears his name, Louis T. Leonowens Ltd.
Louis Leonowens was born to Anna Leonowens in Western Australia and spent time as a child in Penang and Singapore before his mother was invited to teach English to King Mongkut's children in Siam.[1] From age seven he spent six years in Siam and made close friendships with Mongkut and his heir, Prince Chulalongkorn. After spending time across Ireland, the United States, and Australia, he returned to Siam where he became an officer before joining the Borneo Company in its teak trade.
As an agent for the Borneo Company, Leonowens became quite influential over the teak trade and became well-liked by the local inhabitants and the local kings. He protected the king of Lampang during the Ngiao rebellion and in 1905 he founded the Louis T. Leonowens Ltd. He left Siam for the last time in 1914 and spent his last years in the United Kingdom before dying from Spanish Flu in 1919.
His childhood in Siam would be adapted and used in the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam, as well as other fictional works based on it.