Simon Li Fook-sean (; 19 April 1922 – 26 February 2013) was a Hong Kong senior judge and politician.

Education and judiciary career

Li was educated at the King's College between 1937 and 1941 and then 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 ...

. He also spent time studying on the Mainland China. He studied law at the

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

from 1947 to 1950 and was called to Lincoln's Inn Bar in London in 1951. He also received the honoris causa degree of

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...

from the

Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public research university in Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong, formally established in 1963 by a charter granted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It is the territory's second-oldest university and ...

conferred on him in 1986. He returned to Hong Kong and became a crown counsel in Hong Kong's Legal Department in 1953. He became the judge of the District Court in 1963. Li was the first Chinese judge to be appointed to the High Court in 1971 and was elevated to Justice of Appeal in 1980. He was the first Chinese to be appointed to the Vice-President of the Court of Appeal in 1984. In 1986 he became the first Hong Kong Chinese to act as Chief Justice for the then Chief Justice

Denys Roberts Sir Denys Tudor Emil Roberts (Traditional Chinese: 羅弼時爵士; 19 January 1923 – 20 May 2013) was a British colonial official and judge. Joining the colonial civil service as a Crown Counsel in Nyasaland (now Malawi) in 1953, he became ...

. He retired in 1987 at the age of 64 as the colony's most senior Chinese judge.

Politics

After the

Sino-British Joint Declaration The Sino-British Joint Declaration is a treaty between the governments of the United Kingdom and China signed in 1984 setting the conditions in which Hong Kong was transferred to Chinese control and for the governance of the territory after ...

was signed in 1984 which determined that Hong Kong's sovereignty to People's Republic of China in 1997, Li was appointed to the Independent Monitoring Team on the Assessment Office to monitor the acceptability of the Sino-British Draft Agreement. He subsequently was appointed by the Beijing government to many positions during the transition period. He was a member of the

Hong Kong Basic Law Drafting Committee The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Basic Law Drafting Committee (BLDC) was formed in June 1985 for the drafts of the Hong Kong Basic Law for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) after 1997. It was formed as a working group ...

, a

Hong Kong Affairs Adviser Hong Kong Affairs Advisers () were appointed by the Chinese government after the last Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten carried out his electoral reform in the British Hong Kong, in the eve of the handover of the sovereignty of the city-state ...

, and deputy director of the preliminary working committee of the

Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region The Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was a body established by the People's Republic of China government on 26 January 1996 for the transition of the Hong Kong sovereignty in 1997. The Preparatory Committee was ...

. In the 1996 First Hong Kong Chief Executive election, Li campaigned against

Yang Ti-liang Sir Ti-liang Yang, (; born 30 June 1929) is a retired senior Hong Kong judge. He was the Chief Justice of Hong Kong from 1988–1996, the only ethnic Chinese person to hold this office during British colonial rule. He was a candidate in the ...

, who succeeded Denys Robert as Chief Justice;

Peter Woo Peter Woo Kwong-ching, GBM, GBS, JP (; born September 5, 1946) is a Hong Kong billionaire businessman. He was the chairman of Wheelock and Company Limited ()and The Wharf Holdings Limited () until 19 May 2015. As of April 2021, his net wo ...

, tycoon and son-in-law of Y. K. Pao, and the eventual winner

Tung Chee-hwa Tung Chee-hwa (; born 7 July 1937) is a Hong Kong businessman and politician who served as the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong between 1997 and 2005, upon the transfer of sovereignty on 1 July. He is currently a vice-chairman of the Chin ...

. Li initially supported

Lo Tak-shing Lo may refer to any of the following: Arts and entertainment * ''Lo!'', the third published nonfiction work of the author Charles Fort * L.O., a fictional character in the Playhouse Disney show Happy Monster Band * ''Lo'' (film), a 2009 indep ...

for the Chief Executive race. After Lo withdrew, Li announced his own candidacy and became the last of the four to join the race. Li failed to get enough nominations, receiving just 43 votes, and was eliminated in the election. Tung won a landslide victory in the election by the 400-member Selection Committee orchestrated by the Beijing government. In 1997, Li received Hong Kong's highest honour, the

Grand Bauhinia Medal The Grand Bauhinia Medal () is the highest award under the Hong Kong honours and awards system; it is to recognise the selected person's lifelong and highly significant contribution to the well-being of Hong Kong. The awardee is entitled to the ...

Public services

Li also held numerous positions including the vice-chairperson of Fu Hong Society, honorary steward 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 ...

, director of his family owned

Bank of East Asia The Bank of East Asia Limited, often abbreviated to BEA, is a Hong Kong banking and financial services company, headquartered in Central, Hong Kong. It is currently the largest independent local Hong Kong bank, and one of two remaining family ...

, director of King's College Old Boys' Association School Board, director of Rev. Joseph Carra Education Fund, council member of the Society for Rehabilitation, honorary president of the

Scout Association of Hong Kong The Scout Association of Hong Kong is the largest scouting organisation in Hong Kong. Scout training was first introduced in Hong Kong in 1909 and 1910 by the Protestant based Boys' Brigade, Chums Scout Patrols and British Boy Scouts. The Cath ...

, chairman of the Insurance Claims Complaints Board, and director and chairman of the Widow and Orphan Pension Board. He also established the Mr Li Koon Chun Memorial Fund and the Dr Simon Li Fook Sean and Madam Yang Yen Ying Fund for supporting the finances of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Death and family

Li suffered from ill health and was sent to hospital with a chronic respiration problem in about 2012. He died of heart failure at the

Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, or HKSH, is a private hospital established in 1922 in Happy Valley, Hong Kong. The hospital has more than 500 beds and various room types and facilities. It also has a 24 hours outpatient consultation service. ...

surrounded by his family on 26 February 2013 at the age of 91. His brother Ronald Li Fook-shiu was the chairman of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and was jailed for corruption in 1991. His nephews include former Legislative Councillor

David Li Kwok-po Sir David Li Kwok-po (; born 13 March 1939, London, England) is a Hong Kong banker and politician. He is the Executive Chairman of the Bank of East Asia and Pro-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong. He was a member of the Legislative ...

, the

chairman and

Arthur Li Kwok-cheung Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, Grand Bauhinia Medal, GBM, Gold Bauhinia Star, GBS justice of the peace, JP (; born 27 June 1945) is a Hong Kong doctor and politician. He is currently member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, Executive Council of ...

, deputy chairman at the bank, former Secretary for Education and former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the

. Simon Li had four sons and one daughter. His second son Joseph Li died suddenly in Britain in 1995. His only daughter

Gladys Li Gladys Veronica Li, QC, SC (; born 1948), is a Barrister in England, a Senior Counsel at the Hong Kong Bar with a constitutional law and human rights practice, and a founding member of the Hong Kong Civic Party. Career Li began to take an int ...

was the ex-chairwoman of the

Hong Kong Bar Association The Hong Kong Bar Association (HKBA) is the professional regulatory body for barristers in Hong Kong. The Law Society of Hong Kong is the equivalent association for solicitors in Hong Kong. Victor Dawes SC is the current chairman of the Cou ...

and member of the

Civic Party The Civic Party (CP) is a pro-democracy liberal political party in Hong Kong. It is currently chaired by barrister Alan Leong. The party was formed in 2006 on the basis of the Basic Law Article 45 Concern Group, which was derived from the ...

. She also represented the domestic helpers in the '' Vallejos v. Commissioner of Registration''. Li is of Waitun village, Heshan,

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

ancestry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Simon 1922 births 2013 deaths British Hong Kong judges Recipients of the Grand Bauhinia Medal Alumni of the University of Hong Kong Alumni of King's College, Hong Kong Alumni of University College London Members of Lincoln's Inn Hong Kong philanthropists Members of the Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Hong Kong Basic Law Drafting Committee members Hong Kong Affairs Advisors Li family of Hong Kong 20th-century philanthropists