Li Fook-kow

Li Fook-kow, CMG, JP (Chinese: 李福逑; 15 June 1922 – 27 October 2011) was a Hong Kong government official. He was the Secretary for Home Affairs and official member of the Executive Council and Legislative Council of Hong Kong.

Biography

Li was born on 15 June 1922 in Hong Kong to the prominent Li family which dominated the Hong Kong political and business scene. His father, Li Tse-fong, was a prominent businessman and politician and the founder of the Bank of East Asia. He was educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined the Hong Kong government as assistant education officer in 1954 and was transferred to the student officer subsequently. He was the chief officer from 1972 to 1983, and was the first Chinese to become the Director of Social Welfare from 1973 to 1977. He was also the first Chinese to be appointed Secretary for Home Affairs from 1977 to 1980. After his retirement from the government, he was made chairman of the Public Service Commission from 1980 and 1987 and from March to October 1987, he was appointed Public Opinion Survey Office Monitor on the controversial constitutional reform on the 1988 Legislative Council election.^[1]

Personal life

Li was a Roman Catholic. married Edith Kwong Mei-yung in 1946, by whom he has two sons and two daughters. His son Andrew Li Kwok-nang was the first Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal from 1997 to 2010. His two daughters was named Carol and Elaine and one other son Michael Li Ka-wah. He migrated to Canada before 1997 but later moved back to Hong Kong. He died at the Ruttonjee Hospital at the age of 89 on 27 October 2011.

See also

• Four big families of Hong Kong

References