Sir Catchick Paul Chater ( hy, Փոլ Չաթեր; ; 8 September 1846 – 27 May 1926) was a prominent British businessman of

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

descent in

colonial Hong Kong Hong Kong was a colony and later a dependent territory of the British Empire from 1841 to 1997, apart from a period of occupation under the Japanese Empire from 1941 to 1945 during the Pacific War. The colonial period began with the British ...

, whose family roots were in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

, India.

Biography

Early life

Chater was born Khachik Pogose Astwachatoor ( hy, Խաչիկ Պօղոս Աստուածատուրեան) in

, British India, one of thirteen offspring of

parents Miriam and Chater Paul Chater. His father was a member of the

Indian civil service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 300 million ...

. Chater was orphaned at the age of seven, and he gained entry into the La Martiniere College in Calcutta on a scholarship. In 1864, he moved to Hong Kong from Calcutta and lived with the family of his sister Anna and sister's husband, Armenian Jordan Paul Jordan.

Career

In the early days in Hong Kong, he was an assistant at the

Bank of Hindustan, China and Japan The issue of banknotes of the Hong Kong dollar is governed in the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the governmental currency board of Hong Kong. Under licence from the HKMA, three commercial b ...

. Later, with the aid of the

Sassoon family The Sassoon family, known as "Rothschilds of the East" due to the immense wealth they accumulated in finance and trade, are a family of Baghdadi Jewish descent. Originally based in Baghdad, Iraq, they later moved to Bombay, India, and then emig ...

, he set up business as an exchange broker, resigned from the bank, and traded gold bullion and land on his own account. He took sea-bed soundings at night in a

sampan A sampan is a relatively flat-bottomed Chinese and Malay wooden boat. Some sampans include a small shelter on board and may be used as a permanent habitation on inland waters. The design closely resembles Western hard chine boats like th ...

and was thus instrumental in plotting the reclamation of

Victoria Harbour Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on South China Sea were instrumental i ...

. He is credited with a pivotal role in the colonial government's success in acquiring lands then held by the military, at a cost of two million pounds sterling. In 1868, he and Sir

Hormusjee Naorojee Mody Sir Hormusjee Naorojee Mody (12 October 1838 – 16 June 1911) was a successful Indian Parsi businessman in Hong Kong. He made Hong Kong his home for 50 years, during which he did much for the benefit of the colony and finally founded the Univer ...

formed brokerage company

Chater & Mody Chater may refer to: People *Arthur Reginald Chater (1896–1979), Royal Marines general *Dan Chater (1870–1959), British politician *David Chater (born 1953), British broadcast journalist * Elizabeth Chater (1910–2004), Canadian author of nove ...

, a largely successful business partnership in Hong Kong, although the firm's Hong Kong Milling Company (aka Rennie's Mill) failed in 1908 and resulted in the suicide of

Albert Rennie Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert C ...

. In 1886, he helped

Patrick Manson Sir Patrick Manson (3 October 1844 – 9 April 1922) was a Scottish physician who made important discoveries in parasitology, and was a founder of the field of tropical medicine. He graduated from University of Aberdeen with degrees in Master ...

establish

Dairy Farm Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history that ...

, and he entered the Legislative Council that same year, taking the place of F.D. Sassoon. Also in 1886 Chater established Kowloon Wharf and Godown, predecessor of

The Wharf (Holdings) The Wharf (Holdings) Limited (), or Wharf (九倉) in short, is a company founded in 1886 in Hong Kong. As its name suggests, the company's original business was in running wharfage and dockside warehousing, and it was originally known as Th ...

. In 1889, he established

Hongkong Land Hongkong Land (HKL) is a property investment, management and development group with commercial and residential property interests across Asia. It owns and manages some 850,000 sq. m. of office and retail property in Asia, principally in Hong K ...

with

James Johnstone Keswick James Johnstone Keswick (1845–1914) was a Scottish businessman in China and Hong Kong. He was the tai-pan of the Jardine Matheson & Co. Biography He was the son of the Thomas Keswick, and younger brother of William Keswick, who was the founder ...

. Hong Kong Land commenced the

land reclamation Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamati ...

project under the

Praya Reclamation Scheme The Praya Reclamation Scheme () was a large scale land reclamation project carried out by the Hong Kong Land company in Colonial Hong Kong under Sir Catchick Paul Chater and James Johnstone Keswick. Early proposal The project was first proposed i ...

in 1890. Persuaded by the suggestion of temporary councillor

Bendyshe Layton Bendyshe Layton (died 17 January 1918) was a British businessman and member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. He was with the firm of Gibb, Livingston & Co., one of the leading trading firms in the East during the late nineteenth century. He ...

that Hong Kong should have electricity, they secretly acquired an old graveyard in Wan Chai, where they built one of the earliest power stations in the world. In 1890, the

Hongkong Electric Company The Hongkong Electric Company (HEC; ) is one of Hong Kong's two main electricity generation companies, the other being China Light & Power. The company is owned by several companies including Power Assets Holdings, State Grid Corporation of Chi ...

went into production. Chater was enthusiastic in two sports: He played for the

Hong Kong Cricket Club The Hong Kong Cricket Club () is situated in the heart of Hong Kong Island surrounded by the hills and greenery of Wong Nai Chung Gap Wong Nai Chung Gap () is a geographic gap in the middle of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The gap is betwee ...

1st XI, and was a

thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in t ...

enthusiast. He reportedly never missed the weekly races at the

Happy Valley Racecourse The Happy Valley Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing and is a tourist attraction in Hong Kong. It is located in Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island, surrounded by Wong Nai Chung Road and Morrison Hill Road. The capacity ...

in 60 years. He set up the Chater Stable in Hong Kong in 1872 that won many races at Happy Valley. The

Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup is a Hong Kong Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late May or early June at Sha Tin Racecourse. A Group One race that offers a purse of HK$12,000,000, it is run on turf over a distance of 2400 meters (prior ...

, the

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

third leg of the Hong Kong Triple Crown, is named in his honour. In 1896, Chater joined government ranks when he was appointed to the Executive Council, and served there until 1926, the year of his death. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the

1902 Coronation Honours The 1902 Coronation Honours were announced on 26 June 1902, the date originally set for the coronation of King Edward VII. The coronation was postponed because the King had been taken ill two days before, but he ordered that the honours list shou ...

, receiving the accolade in person from King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

on 24 October that year. In 1901, Chater constructed a very fine home with imported European marble at 1, Conduit Road, Hong Kong which he named '

Marble Hall Marble Hall is a town in the south of the Limpopo province of South Africa. It was formerly in Mpumalanga province. Marble Hall is a village 26 km north-west of Groblersdal and 96 km south-south-east of Mokopane on the N11 National Rou ...

'. Therein, he housed his collection of fine porcelain. To commemorate the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...

of King

in 1902, Chater presented a statue in bronze of the King to Hong Kong, executed by

George Edward Wade George Edward Wade (1853, London – 5 February 1933) was a British sculptor. He was largely self-taught as an artist and is best remembered for his statues of royalty and politicians. He was baptised on 17 April 1853 at Westminster, London, E ...

and unveiled at

Statue Square Statue Square (; lit. "Empress' Statue Square") is a public pedestrian square in Central, Hong Kong. Built entirely on reclaimed land at the end of the 19th century, Statue Square consists of two parts separated by Chater Road into a nort ...

in 1907. In 1904, Chater single-handedly financed the construction of St. Andrew's Church. Some titles and positions held by Chater: * Master of the Perseverance Lodge 1873 * Steward at the

Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) is one of the oldest institutions in Hong Kong, having been founded in 1884. In 1959, it was granted a Royal Charter and renamed The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club (). The institution reverted to its original name ...

* chairman of the board of Stewards of the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club (1892–1926) * Senior

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

in Hong Kong * District Grand Master of Hong Kong and South China (1881–1909) * Director of

Co. Ltd., 1886 *

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

for

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 mi ...

in Hong Kong * Treasurer and Chairman of the Queen Victoria Jubilee Committee 1887 * Member of the ''

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

'' by the French Government at

Tonkin Tonkin, also spelled ''Tongkin'', ''Tonquin'' or ''Tongking'', is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain ''Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, includi ...

1892 * Member of the Public Lighting Committee 1896 * Member of the Governor's Executive Council 1896 * Chairman of the Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Committee 1897 * Companion of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

1897 * Honorary degree of

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

by the

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fi ...

for services as the Honorary Treasurer 1923

Philanthropy

In May 1923, Chater, then treasurer of the University of Hong Kong, made a donation of $250,000 to the university at a time critical to its survival. In 1924/25, Chater made the single biggest donation to any institution or organisation whilst still alive, donating 1.1 million Rupees to his alma mater, the desperately struggling La Martiniere College, thus allowing it to avoid certain closure. To honour his contribution to the school, Sir Paul Chater's name was included in the school prayer.

Legacy

Chater died in 1926, and bequeathed Marble Hall and its entire contents, including his unique collection of porcelain and paintings, to Hong Kong. The remainder of his estate went to the

Armenian Church of the Holy Nazareth The Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth () is an 18th-century Armenian Apostolic church in Kolkata, India, serving as the centre of the Armenian Community in Kolkata and the seat of the Armenian Vicariate of India and the Far East. It is affiliate ...

in Calcutta, which runs a home for Armenian elderly, named The Sir Catchick Paul Chater Home. He was interred at the

Hong Kong Cemetery Hong Kong Cemetery, formerly Hong Kong (Happy Valley) Cemetery and before that Hong Kong Colonial Cemetery, is one of the early Christian cemeteries in Hong Kong dating to its colonial era beginning in 1845. It is located beside the racecourse ...

. Chater's wife lived in Marble Hall as a life tenant until her death in 1935. Ownership then passed to the government. It became "Admiralty House" – the official residence of the Naval Commander-in-Chief, and was commandeered by Japanese during their occupation. It accidentally burned down in 1946, and the government buildings occupied the site since its demolition in 1953. Government residences named 'Chater Hall Flats' are today located on the site of Marble Hall. Chater amassed a large collection of historical pictures and engravings relating to China which he gifted to the colony. The ''Chater Collection'' was subject to a work by its curator, James Orange, in 1924, at which time the collection stood at 430 items. Its backbone was the collection of Wyndham Law of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, and included oil paintings, watercolours, sketches, prints and photographs, most of which are based on landscape scenes of the South China trading ports in the 18th and 19th centuries, and of British activities in China. The ''Chater Collection'' was dispersed and largely destroyed during the Japanese occupation, and only 94 pieces (now an important part of the collection of the

Hong Kong Museum of Art The Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) is the first and main art museum of Hong Kong, located in Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. It is managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong Government. HKMoA has an art collection ...

) are known to have survived. Chater's nephew (Anna's son) Gregory Paul Jordan was instrumental in developing medical services and education in Hong Kong and in the founding of the

. He was its second vice-chancellor. On the occasion of the 171th anniversary of Paul Chater's birth, a bust of Paul Chater was unveiled at the La Martiniere Boys School, Kolkata. *

Chater Garden Chater Garden, located in the Central District of Hong Kong, is a public park directly east of the Legislative Council building. It is named after Sir Paul Chater, as is the adjacent Chater Road. History In the early days of British ru ...

Chater House Chater House () is an office tower in Central, Hong Kong. Opened in March 2003, it is a part of the Hongkong Land portfolio of properties. It has a three-level retail podium, known as Landmark Chater. The building was built on the site of the ...

Chater Road Chater Road is a three-lane road in Central, Hong Kong named after Sir Paul Chater. It begins at its intersection with Pedder Street and Des Voeux Road Central in the west, and ends at Murray Road in the east. It divides Statue Square into a s ...

* Catchick Street *

Peking Road Peking Road () is a road between Nathan Road and Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The road is mainly hotels and shopping area on the street level. Name The road was initially named Chater Road, after Paul Chater, who developed ...

was named Chater Street until 1909, when it was renamed to avoid confusion with Chater Road.

References

External links

Article about Hormusjee Naorojee Mody with Chater & Mody

Catchick Paul Chater – ongoing family history research by distant relative Liz Chater

Documentary on Sir Paul Chater
Henrik Terchonian (2005) Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth, Kolkata * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chater, Catchick Paul 1846 births 1926 deaths Hong Kong businesspeople Hong Kong people of Armenian descent Indian people of Armenian descent Jardine Matheson Group La Martiniere Calcutta alumni Members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Ethnic Armenian businesspeople British people of Armenian descent Knights Bachelor Indian emigrants to Hong Kong