Peter Gordon Williams,

OBE 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 ...

, JP (23 January 1920 – 14 October 1982) was a British businessman and an unofficial 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 Kong ...

. Williams was a fencer and a

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

player. He was an artillery officer in the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After the war, he met and married Anne Newmarch of Guy Newmarch, a railway engineer in North China, and Catherine Muir, in London. The couple had two sons, Adam and Piers. Through Anne's connections, Peter Williams got a job with the Dodwell & Co, a Far East trading company in Hong Kong. He became the director and later the chairman of the company. He was also the chairman of the Inchcape after it purchased the Dodwell for £13 million in 1973. He was also chairman of 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 ...

and non-executive director of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, The Hongkong & Kowloon Wharf & Godown Company Limited and The Hong Kong Telephone Company. He succeeded Sir Douglas Clague in 1975 as the deputy chairman of the bank. In 1972, he became chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, As a chamber representative, he was an unofficial member of the

from 1972 to 1978. He was also a provisional member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong during the absence of Sir Douglas Clague. He was also a steward and later chairman of 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 ...

. Under his spell, the Sha Tin Racecourse was opened in 1978. He also greeted

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

during her visit in Hong Kong in 1975. Williams and his family lived at 35

Magazine Gap Road Magazine Gap Road is a winding road on the affluent and ultra-expensive Mid-Levels and the Peak on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is one of the main access leading to the Peak area. Description It starts low from Robinson Road and ...

of The Peak. He resigned as chairman of the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club in 1981 and retired as the director on 31 May 1982. Shortly after he returned to England, Williams died in London at 9:30 am on 14 October 1982, aged 62.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Peter Gordon 1920 births 1982 deaths English male fencers English cricketers British businesspeople in shipping British expatriates in Hong Kong Hong Kong shipping businesspeople Hong Kong chief executives HSBC people Members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong Officers of the Order of the British Empire British people in colonial India