Career
He was the Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong from 1925–1936 and served as Acting Administrator of the colony from February to March 1930 and from May to September 1935, and then in November the same year, basically at either end of the tenure of Sir William Peel as Governor. His official (summer) residence was Mountain Lodge. In 1904, then a humble "Office Assistant", Southorn had met Leonard Woolf on his arrival in Ceylon from England.
In 1936, he was made Governor of The Gambia, notably describing the colony as "a geographical and economic absurdity".
Southorn Playground in Wan Chai, Hong Kong was named for him in 1934, while he was Colonial Secretary. Also bearing his name are the associated Southorn Stadium and adjacent Southorn Centre.