Thomas Ernest Pearce (19 February 1883 – 19 December 1941) was a British businessman and member of the

Legislative Council of Hong Kong The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (LegCo) is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong. It sits under China's " one country, two systems" constitutional arrangement, and is the power centre of Hong Ko ...

. Pearce was born on 19 February 1883. His father Rev. Thomas William Pearce,

O.B.E 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 o ...

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 ...

spent nearly half a century working in China as a missionary and translator, and was closely associated with the educational development in Hong Kong. Pearce went to boarding school in Blackheath, South London, from 1896–99; he attended the School for the Sons of Missionaries, the predecessor of

Eltham College Eltham College is an independent day school situated in Mottingham, southeast London. Eltham and Mottingham once formed part of the same parish, hence its name. It is a member of The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC). Early hi ...

, where he excelled in cricket and rugby. When in 1912 the school moved to its current site, in Mottingham, South London, Pearce donated the Blackheath Cup, which is still awarded for all-round sporting excellence. After joining trading company J. D. Hutchison & Co. in 1903, Pearce acquired a controlling share in the company from John Duflon Hutchison in 1917. He took into partnership with P. S. Cassidy in 1922 and set up a branch office in Canton in 1929 which ceased to operate in 1941. He was also director and chairman of the

Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (), commonly known as HSBC (), was the parent entity of the multinational HSBC banking group until 1991, and is now its Hong Kong-based Asia-Pacific subsidiary. The largest bank in Hong K ...

and many other public companies. Pearce was made Justice of the Peace in 1921 and was appointed member of the Court of 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 f ...

in 1929. He was also appointed member of the Legislative Council in March 1939 until Japan invaded Hong Kong in 1941. He was a member of the Hong Kong Defence Reserve. During the Battle of Hong Kong, he was killed in the fight alongside the Volunteers' Special Guard Company nicknamed the Hugheseliers and the Methuseliers consisting of group of older men to defend the North Point Power Station. Pearce was a sportsman and played cricket for Hong Kong. He was also the Chairman of the

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 ...

from 1940 to 1941. He had two sons, Thomas Alexander Pearce and J. L. C. Pearce. Thomas Alexander Pearce was also a professional cricketer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearce, Thomas Ernest 1883 births 1941 deaths British military personnel killed in World War II Hong Kong businesspeople CK Hutchison Holdings Chairmen of HSBC Members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong British people of World War II Hong Kong people of World War II