Sir Robert Hormus Kotewall (羅旭龢; 1880–1949) was a

British 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 Briti ...

businessman, civil servant and

legislator A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ex ...

Early life

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

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.

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. 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, and his grandson is cricketer Roy Lamsam.

Legacy

Kotewall Road, in

Mid-Levels Mid-Levels is an affluent residential area on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is located between Victoria Peak and Central. Residents are predominantly more affluent Hong Kong locals and expatriate professionals. The Mid-Levels is further ...

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km ...

, and Sir Robert Kotewall Hall in the campus of

St. Paul's Co-educational College St. Paul's Co-educational College (), (often abbreviated as St. Paul's, St. Paul's Co-ed., Co-ed. or SPCC) is an Anglican secondary school located at 33 MacDonnell Road, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong. Founded in 1915, it was a girls-only college un ...

, 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.

Gallery

Northcote Executive Council.jpg , Robert Kotewall (2nd right) as part of the administration of Geoffry Northcote (centre) Robert_Kotewall_2.png , A portarit of Robert Kotewall on a newspaper in 1947 HKPL CWB 2 Sir Robert Kotewall.jpg , Statue of Robert Kotewall in Hong Kong Central Library

References

External links

R. H. Kotewall (Lo Kuk-wu) 羅旭龢
from ''Biographies of Prominent Chinese'' c.1925. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kotewall, Robert Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong Members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong 1880 births 1949 deaths Hong Kong collaborators with Imperial Japan Hong Kong people of Parsi descent Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Bachelor People of British Hong Kong