Kwok Chan (, 1904 – 17 June 1967) was a Hong Kong businessman and member of the

Executive Council of Hong Kong The Executive Council of Hong Kong (ExCo) is the cabinet of the Government of Hong Kong, acting as a formal body of advisers to the Chief Executive of Hong Kong that serves as a core policy-making organ assisting the Chief Executive. It is ...

Early life

Kwok was the second son of the Hong Kong businessman Kwok Shiu-lau. He was born in Hong Kong and was educated at the

Diocesan Boys' School The Diocesan Boys' School (DBS) is a day and boarding Anglican boys' school in Hong Kong, located at 131 Argyle Street, Hong Kong, Argyle Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon near Mong Kok East station. The school's mission is "to provide a liberal educat ...

. He studied business at 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 ...

and joined

Banque de l'Indochine The Banque de l'Indochine (), originally Banque de l'Indo-Chine ("Bank of Indochina"), was a bank created in 1875 in Paris to finance French colonial development in Asia. As a bank of issue in Indochina until 1952 (and in French Paci ...

法國東方匯理銀行 (currently

Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank (Crédit Agricole CIB, formerly Crédit Agricole Indosuez then Calyon) is Crédit Agricole's corporate and investment banking entity. With a staff of 8,940 employeesActivity report 2021 (excludin ...

) as comprador, equivalent of Chinese manager, after his graduation.

Home

Kwok Chan inherited 101 Robinson Road in Mid-Levels in 1936, part of his father's Kwok Compound IL 719 that consisted of 97, 99 & 101 Robinson Road, and raised his family there.

Pre-war career

In 1925 during the large-scale

Canton–Hong Kong strike The Canton–Hong Kong strike was a strike and boycott that took place in British Hong Kong and Guangzhou (Canton), Republic of China, from June 1925 to October 1926.Jens Bangsbo, Thomas Reilly, Mike Hughes. 995(1995). Science and Football III: Pr ...

, he joined the Special Police Reserve to help maintain order. He joined the established Police Reserve afterward. In 1930 and 1933, he became the director of the

Tung Wah Hospital Tung Wah Hospital is a Charitable hospital in Hong Kong under the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals. Located above Possession Point, at 12 Po Yan Street in Sheung Wan, it is the first hospital established in Colonial Hong Kong for the general publ ...

and the

Po Leung Kuk The Po Leung Kuk, founded as the Society for the Protection of Women and Children, is a charitable organisation in Hong Kong that provides support for orphaned children, education and other services. History In the late 19th century, ab ...

, then the two largest charities for the Chinese community in Hong Kong. He held many positions in various sectors, such as vice-chairman of the Chin Woo Athletic Association, chief secretary of the football club Chinese Athletic Association, chairman of the Chinese Swimming Association, member of the financial committee of the

St. John Ambulance Brigade St John Ambulance is the name of a number of affiliated organisations in different countries which teach and provide first aid and emergency medical services, and are primarily staffed by Volunteering, volunteers. The associations are overseen b ...

, treasurer of the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children, founder of the Boys' and Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong, member of the council of the Kowloon Tong School and vice-chairman of the

Chinese General Chamber of Commerce The Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (CGCCHK; ) is a non-profit organization of local Chinese firms and businessmen based in Hong Kong. It was founded in 1900 by Ho Fook and Lau Chu-pak, two prominent leaders of the Chinese community during th ...

. He was made

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 1941. During the

Japanese occupation of Hong Kong The Imperial Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began when the Governor of Hong Kong, Mark Aitchison Young, Sir Mark Young, surrendered the British Crown colony of British Hong Kong, Hong Kong to the Empire of Japan on 25 December 1941. The surr ...

, he was appointed member of the

Chinese Cooperative Council The Chinese Cooperative Council was a civilian council consisting of leading local Chinese and Eurasians leaders during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. History After the British surrender, the Japanese tried to consolidate their power by ...

, a puppet advisory council set up by the Japanese.

Post-war career

After the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

, he became the chairman of the

South China Athletic Association South China Athletic Association (known simply as South China, SCAA, ) is a Hong Kong professional football club that competes in the Hong Kong First Division, the second-tier league in Hong Kong football league system. The club is histor ...

, president of the

Hong Kong Football Association The Hong Kong Football Association Limited (), often abbreviated to the HKFA, is the governing body of association football in Hong Kong. Its current chairman is Pui Kwan Kay and its Chief Executive Officer is Joaquin Tam. History The HKFA was ...

and the

Asian Football Confederation The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in some countries/territories in Asia and Oceania. It has 47 member countries most of which are located in Asia. Australia, formerly in ...

. He was also member of the council of the University of Hong Kong, Diocesan Boys' School, and St. Stephen's College. He became the head of the St. John Ambulance Brigade and Rotary and vice-chairman of the

Red Cross Hong Kong The Hong Kong Red Cross (HKRC, ) is the national Red Cross society of Hong Kong as part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Its head office is in West Kowloon. It was established officially on 12 July 1950 as a branch of ...

. For the Chinese community, he was vice-chairman of the Chinese Temples Committee. He was appointed by the government member of the Licensing Board, Business Advisory Board, Fishing Advisory Board. From 1950 to 1957, he was the unofficial member of the

Urban Council of Hong Kong The Urban Council (UrbCo) was a municipal council in Hong Kong responsible for municipal services on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon (including New Kowloon). These services were provided by the council's executive arm, the Urban Services ...

. He had also acted as unofficial member of the Executive Council. He was also representative for Hong Kong in the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East in 1949, 1953, 1954 and 1958. He was rewarded Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1953 and

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 ...

in 1955. He was promoted to Commander of the Order of St John in 1957 and Knight of the Order of St John in 1961. In 1962, he was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire. In 1960, he became vice-chairman of the board of the

Hang Seng Bank Hang Seng Bank Limited () is a Hong Kong-based banking and financial services company with headquarters in Central, Hong Kong. It is one of Hong Kong's leading public companies in terms of market capitalisation and is part of the HSBC Group, ...

. He was also director of many companies such as

Hong Kong 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 ...

, Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry Company, A. S. Watson & Company,

Kowloon Motor Bus The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) is a bus company operating franchised services in Hong Kong. It is the largest bus company in Hong Kong by fleet size and number of bus routes. It is a subsidiary of Transport International. ...

Rediffusion Television Rediffusion Television (RTV) was the first television station in Hong Kong, making it both the first British colony and the first predominantly ethnically Chinese city to have television.Kitley, Philip. 003(2003). Television, Regulation and ...

, Dah Chong Hong Limited, Hong Kong Settlers Housing Corporation, Oriental Express Limited and Borneo, Greenland & Company. Kwok died at Queen Mary Hospital on 17 June 1967 at the age of 67.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kwok, Chan 1904 births 1967 deaths Alumni of the University of Hong Kong Alumni of St. John's Hall, University of Hong Kong Hong Kong bankers Hong Kong collaborators with Imperial Japan Hong Kong philanthropists Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong Members of the Urban Council of Hong Kong Presidents of the Asian Football Confederation Association football executives Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Commanders of the Order of St John Recipients of the Legion of Honour 20th-century philanthropists