Senior Chinese Unofficial Member
Senior Chinese Unofficial Member denotes the highest-ranking ethnically Chinese member of the Legislative Council and Executive Council of Hong Kong under colonial British rule. As Chinese council members were frequently referred to as "Chinese Representatives", the senior member was also known as the "Senior Chinese Representative". In the later years of the colonial rule, many Senior Chinese Unofficial Member also served as Senior Unofficial Member at the same time.
| Senior Chinese Unofficial Member | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 首席華人非官守議員 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
History
In colonial Hong Kong government, an Unofficial Member of a council was a member who was not part of the council by virtue of their government office (i.e. not ex-officio). The first Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council who was ethnically Chinese was Ng Choy, a British-trained barrister who later went on to serve as Foreign Minister and acting Premier of the Republic of China. He was appointed to the Legislative Council in 1880.
The first ethnically Chinese Unofficial Member of the Executive Council was Sir Shouson Chow, a US-educated former Qing dynasty official, who was appointed in 1926.
Over the years, there were 22 ethnically Chinese Unofficial Members of the Legislative Council, and 11 of the Executive Council. Nine of them have served on both councils. The longest tenure was that of Sir Kai Ho, who served 24 years on the Legislative Council. Sir Shouson Chow served 10 years on the Executive Council, the longest on that council. The Senior Unofficial Member served as a leader or representative speaking on behalf of all Unofficial Members, and the Senior Chinese Unofficial Member performed an equivalent role for the ethnically Chinese Unofficial Members.
After the Second World War, the ethnically Chinese members of the two councils gradually increased, and as a result the Senior Unofficial Member was often the Senior Chinese Unofficial Member. From 1974 until the abolition of the colonical councils in 1997, the Senior Unofficial Member was always ethnically Chinese. As a result, the term "Senior Chinese Unofficial Member" gradually disappeared from the 1970s.
Executive Council
| Order | Image | Senior Chinese Unofficial Member | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Sir Shouson Chow | 1926 | 1936 |
| 2 |  | Robert H. Kotewall later Sir Robert |
1936 | 1941 |
| Japanese occupation of Hong Kong | ||||
| 3 | .png.webp) | Chau Tsun-nin Also Senior Unofficial Member in ExCo from 1953 later Sir Tsun-Nin |
1946 | 1959 |
| 4 |  | Chau Sik-nin At the same time Senior Unofficial Member in ExCo later Sir Sik-Nin |
1959 | 1962 |
| 5 |  | Richard Charles Lee | 1962 | 1966 |
| 6 |  | Kwan Cho-yiu later Sir Cho-Yiu died in office |
1966 | 1971 |
| 7 |  | Sir Kenneth Fung Ping-fan | 1971 | 1972 |
| 8 | | Sir Kan Yuet-keung Also Senior Unofficial Member in ExCo from 1974 |
1972 | 1980 |
| 9 | | Sir Chung Sze-yuen At the same time Senior Unofficial Member in ExCo |
1980 | 1988 |
| 10 | | Lydia Dunn At the same time Senior Unofficial Member in ExCo later Baroness Dunn |
1988 | 1995 |
| 11 | | Dr. Rosanna Wong Yick-ming At the same time Senior Unofficial Member in ExCo later Dame Rosanna |
1995 | 1997 |
| 1997 -Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China | ||||
Legislative Council
| Order | Image | Senior Chinese Unofficial Member | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Ng Choy | 1880 | 1882 |
| Vacant (1882–84) | ||||
| 2 |  | Wong Shing | 1884 | 1889 |
| 3 |  | Dr. Ho Kai
later Sir Kai |
1890 | 1914 |
| 4 |  | Wei A. Yuk
later Sir Boshan |
1914 | 1917 |
| 5 |  | Lau Chu-pak
died suddenly in office |
1917 | 1922 |
| 6 | | Shouson Chow
later Sir Shouson |
1922 | 1931 |
| 7 | | Robert H. Kotewall
later Sir Robert |
1931 | 1935 |
| 8 |  | Dr. Ts'o Seen Wan | 1935 | 1937 |
| 9 | | Chau Tsun-nin
later Sir Tsun-Nin |
1937 | 1939 |
| 10 |  | Lo Man-kam
later Sir Man-Kam |
1939 | 1941 |
| Japanese occupation of Hong Kong | ||||
| 11 | | Chau Tsun-nin
became the senior unofficial member of LegCo in 1950 later Sir Tsun-Nin |
1946 | 1953 |
| 12 | | Chau Sik-nin
At the same time Senior Unofficial Member in LegCo later Sir Sik-Nin |
1953 | 1959 |
| 13 | | Ngan Shing-kwan
At the same time Senior Unofficial Member in LegCo |
1959 | 1961 |
| 14 |  | Kwok Chan
At the same time Senior Unofficial Member in LegCo |
1961 | 1962 |
| 15 | | Kenneth Fung Ping-fan
later Sir Kenneth |
1962 | 1965 |
| 16 | | Kwan Cho-yiu
later Sir Cho-Yiu |
1965 | 1966 |
| 17 | | Kan Yuet-keung
Also Senior Unofficial Member in LegCo from 1968 later Sir Yuet-Keung |
1966 | 1972 |
| 18 | | Woo Pak-chuen
At the same time Senior Unofficial Member in LegCo |
1972 | 1974 |
| 19 | | Chung Sze-yuen
At the same time Senior Unofficial Member in LegCo later Sir Sze-Yuen |
1974 | 1978 |
| 20 |  | Oswald Victor Cheung
At the same time Senior Unofficial Member in LegCo later Sir Oswald |
1978 | 1981 |
| 21 | | Dr. Harry Fang Sin-yang
later Sir Harry |
1981 | 1985 |
| 22 | | Lydia Dunn
At the same time Senior Unofficial Member in LegCo later Baroness Dunn |
1985 | 1988 |
| 23 |  | Allen Lee
At the same time Senior Unofficial Member in LegCo |
1988 | 1992 |
| Concept abolished in 1992 | ||||
References
- 鍾士元，《香港回歸歷程－鍾士元回憶錄》，香港：中文大學出版社，2001年。
- 鄭棟材,CHINESE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE AND EXECUTIVE COUNCILS IN HONG KONG UP TO 1941, 29 April 1968.
- Hansard, Hong Kong: HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, 1884-1992.