William Henry Bell was the head of the

Asiatic Petroleum Company Asiatic Petroleum Company (APC) was a joint venture between the Shell and Royal Dutch oil companies founded in 1903. It operated in Asia in the early twentieth century. The corporate headquarters were on The Bund in Shanghai, China. The division ...

and member of the Executive Council and 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 Kong ...

Biography

He joined the Asiatic Petroleum Company and became the manager and then head of the oil company in South China and the Philippines. He represented the company in the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and elected as chairman in 1935. He was also directors of other public companies including director of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. He was appointed to the Legislative Council on several occasions. In May 1931, he elected by the Justices of Peace to be their representatives on the Legislative Council during

Henry Pollock Sir Henry Edward Pollock, QC, JP (, 16 December 1864 – 2 February 1953) was an English barrister who became a prominent politician in Hong Kong. He acted as Attorney General in Hong Kong on several occasions, and was once appointed to the ...

's absence. He was again appointed to the Legislative Council in April 1932 and April 1934. In 1935, he was elected by the Chamber of Commerce on 15 April in succession of C. Gordon Mackie who retired and left Hong Kong. In 1936, he was appointed to the Executive Council. He was also member of the many government agencies, such as the Harbour Board, the Authorized Architects' Committee and Consulting Committee, and the Licensing Board. He was also nominated by the government to 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 fi ...

in 1934. Bell retired from the Legislative Council in July 1936 and continued to serve on the Executive Council until November when he returned to England. Tribute was paid by Governor Sir

Andrew Caldecott Sir Andrew Caldecott (26 October 1884 – 14 July 1951) was a British colonial administrator. Early years Andrew Caldecott was born on 26 October 1884 in Boxley, Kent, United Kingdom. He was the eldest child of Rev Andrew Caldecott and Isobel ...

and member of the Legislative Council

John Johnstone Paterson John Johnstone Paterson (29 October 1886 - 29 January 1971) was a tai-pan of Jardine Matheson & Co. and a member of the Executive Council and Legislative Council of Hong Kong. Biography The eldest son of William Paterson, a former partner at ...

for his works on the legislature. In November 1936, he left by the SS ''President Coolidge'' for America and England. His first wife, Dora Bell, died in November 1933. He later married to Helen Joyce Calkin, third daughter of Walter L. Calkiin of Hightrees, Ashley Road, Walton-on-Thames, in 1935 at Hong Kong.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, William Henry British businesspeople Hong Kong businesspeople Hong Kong people of British descent British expatriates in Hong Kong Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong Members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong HSBC people