Robert Kotewall

Sir Robert Hormus Kotewall CMG (羅旭龢; 1880–1949) was a British Hong Kong businessman, civil servant and legislator.

Robert Kotewall
Head-and-shoulders portrait of a Eurasian gentleman in a suit
Robert Kotewall
Senior Unofficial Member of the Executive Council
In office
1946
GovernorCecil Harcourt
Preceded byJohn Johnstone Paterson
Succeeded byArthur Morse
Personal details
Born
Robert Hormus Kotewall

1880 (1880)
Died23 May 1949
British Hong Kong
SpouseEdith Kotewall (nee Lowcock)
OccupationBusinessman
Robert Kotewall
Traditional Chinese羅旭龢

Early life

Kotewall was born in 1880. He was the son of Hormusjee Rustomjee Kotewall, an Indian Parsi, and Cheung A-cheung.[1][2]

Career

In 1913, Kotewall was named Clerk to the Magistracy and JP. By 1919, he was in trade as the manager of the Hong Kong Mercantile Company. In 1923, he was invited to join the Legislative Council as an unofficial member, a position he held until 1935. In 1936, he joined the Executive Council.

During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, Kotewall served as the chairman of the Japanese military government's Chinese Representative Council and assisted the Japanese Army in governing Hong Kong. After Sir Mark Young was restored as the governor of Hong Kong, Kotewall submitted a 66-page report explaining the causes and consequences of his actions as a Chinese representative during the Japanese occupation period, but it was not accepted by the British government. Although he was not prosecuted for treason, he was still blacklisted by the Hong Kong government and for the rest of his life would never again be appointed to official positions. At the same time, he was also listed as one of the traitors sought by the Guangdong government of the Republic of China, so he rarely subsequently participated in public life. Kotewall died in 1949.[3]

Personal life

Kotewall's wife was Edith (nee Lowcock) Kotewall (b. 1889). She was the daughter of George Lowcock and granddaughter of Henry Lowcock, an English businessman in Hong Kong.[4] They had 9 children. Through his daughter Maisie, his great-grandson is actor, Max Minghella. Through another daughter Patricia, his great-granddaughter is emcee, philanthropist and former Olympic swimmer Robyn Lamsam Convery,[5][6][7] and his grandson is cricketer Roy Lamsam.

Legacy

Kotewall Road, in Mid-Levels, Hong Kong Island, and Sir Robert Kotewall Hall in the campus of St. Paul's Co-educational College, are named after him. His daughter, Dr. Bobbie Kotewall, a teacher, became the principal of St. Paul's Co-educational College, where his sister (and her paternal aunt) Esther Kotewall had earlier served as vice principal.[8]

See also

References
  1. Teng, Emma (2017). "Hong Kong's Eurasian "Web" Viewed through the Lens of Inter-Asian Studies". The Journal of Asian Studies. 76 (4): 943–951. doi:10.1017/S0021911817000948. JSTOR 26572397. S2CID 165172420.
  2. "R. H. Kotewall (Lo Kuk-wu)". thechinastory.org. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  3. Hahn, Emily (1944). China to Me. Open Road Media.
  4. "Kotewall, Edith". webb-site.com. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  5. "The Fentons".
  6. "MRS Cicely Kotewall Zimmern".
  7. "Webb-site Who's Who: Kotewall Fenton, Patricia".
  8. "「聖保羅男女」百歲 傳承義教路 一場戰爭 成全港首間男女校".
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