List of Legislative Council of Hong Kong members 1843–1941

This is a list of members of the Legislative Council in the colonial period from its establishment in 1843 to 1941. It consists of both official and unofficial members. The term of the Legislative Council was interrupted during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.

Change in composition

List of Official members

Members		Assumed office	Left office	Background	Remarks
	Alexander Robert Johnston	1843	1844	former Administrator	Founding members of the council[1]
	John Robert Morrison	1843	1843	Chinese Secretary and Interpreter	Founding members of the council[1]
	William Caine	1843	1845	Chief Magistrate	Founding members of the council[1]
	George Charles D'Aguilar	1844	1848	Army Major General	[2]
	John Walter Hulme	1844	1860	Chief Justice
	Frederick Wright-Bruce	1844	1845	Colonial Secretary
	Robert Montgomery Martin	1844	1845	Colonial Treasurer
	Paul Ivy Sterling	1845		Attorney General
	William Staveley	1848	1851	Army Major General
	William Jervois	1851	1854	Army Major General
	Robert Garrett	1854	1857	Army Major General
	William Thomas Mercer	1857	1868	Colonial Secretary
	Charles St George Cleverly	1857	1865	Surveyor General
	William Hepburn Rennie	1858	1870	Auditor-General
	William Henry Adams	1860	1865	Chief Justice
	John Jackson Smale	1866	1881	Chief Justice
	George Phillippo	1882	1888	Chief Justice
	James Russell	1888	1892	Chief Justice
	Fielding Clarke	1892	1896	Chief Justice
	John Worrell Carrington	1896	1901	Chief Justice
	William Meigh Goodman	1902	1905	Chief Justice
	Francis Piggott	1905	1912	Chief Justice
	Warren Delabere Barnes	8 June 1911	28 October 1911	Colonial Secretary
	William Rees-Davies	1912	1924	Chief Justice
	Henry Gollan	1924	1930	Chief Justice
	Joseph Horsford Kemp	1930	1933	Chief Justice
	Atholl MacGregor	1934	1941	Chief Justice

List of Unofficial members

Key:
  Elected by/representatives of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce
  Elected by/representatives of the Justice of Peace
  Chinese representatives
  Portuguese representatives

Members		Term of office		Background	Remarks
	David Jardine	14 June 1850	8 March 1857	Jardine, Matheson & Co.	Senior Unofficial Member (1850–57)
	Joseph Frost Edger	14 June 1850	26 August 1857	Jamieson, How & Co.
	Joseph Jardine	9 March 1857	1860	Jardine, Matheson & Co.	Senior Unofficial Member (1857–60); vice David Jardine deceased
	George Lyall	15 May 1857	1860	Lyall, Still & Co.	Senior Unofficial Member (1860)
	John Dent	26 December 1857	1861	Dent & Co.
		12 May 1866	1867		Senior Unofficial Member (1866–67); vice Francis Chomley resigned[3][4][5]
	Alexander Perceval	10 December 1860	1864	Jardine, Matheson & Co.	Senior Unofficial Member (1861–64); vice Joseph Jardine resigned
	Angus Fletcher	10 December 1860	1862	Fletcher & Co.	Vice George Lyall resigned
	Francis Chomley	9 November 1861	1866	Dent & Co.	Senior Unofficial Member (1864–66); vice John Dent resigned
	Charles Wilson Murray	17 March 1862	1865	Birley & Co.	Vice Angus Fletcher resigned
	James Whittall	5 April 1864	1867	Jardine, Matheson & Co.	Senior Unofficial Member (1867); vice Alexander Perceval resigned on leave
		2 July 1872	1875		Vice William Keswick resigned
	Thomas Sutherland	25 February 1865	1866	P. & O. Steam Navigation Co.	Vice C. W. Murray resigned on leave
	Hugh Bold Gibb	18 May 1866	1867	Gibb, Livingston & Co.	Vice Thomas Sutherland on leave
		1868	1871		Senior Unofficial Member (1867–71); resigned and replaced by Richard Rowett
		6 May 1879	1880		Resigned and replaced by Ng Choy
	Phineas Ryrie	15 July 1867	1868	Turner & Co.	Vice John Dent resigned
		1870	1892		Senior Unofficial Member (1871–92); vice J. B. Taylor; reappointed on 1 March 1890; died in office
	Francis Parry	20 July 1867	1868	Birley & Co.	Vice H. B. Gibb absent on leave
	William Keswick	12 September 1867	1872	Jardine, Matheson & Co.	Vice James Whittall on leave
		19 August 1875	1887		Vice James Whittall resigned
	James Banks Taylor	3 October 1868	1870	Smith, Archer & Co.	Vice Phineas Ryrie on leave
	James Pender Duncanson	1 May 1868	1868	Gibb, Livingston & Co.	Vice Francis Parry resigned
	Henry John Ball	1868	1869	Judge of the Summary Court	Sitting as unofficial; Absent on leave and replaced by Richard Rowett
		1869	1872
		1872	1873
	Richard Rowett	27 August 1869	1870	Holiday, Wise & Co.
		25 January 1871	1872		Absent on leave and replaced by Henry Lowcock
		1873	1875		Resigned and replaced by Henry Lowcock
	Henry Lowcock	26 February 1872	1872	Gibb, Livingston & Co.
		23 January 1875	1879		Resigned and replaced by H. B. Gibb
	James Greig	26 February 1872	1872	Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation	Vice Henry John Ball on leave
	William Hastings Alexander	1872	1876	Registrar of the Supreme Court	Sitting as unofficial
	John MacNeile Price	11 December 1876	1884	Surveyor General	Sitting as unofficial
	Ng Choy	26 February 1880	1882	Barrister-at-law	First Chinese member; Senior Chinese Unofficial Member (1880–82)
	Francis Bulkeley Johnson	19 January 1878	1878	Jardine, Matheson & Co.	Vice Wiliam Keswick absent on leave
		17 May 1881	1884
	Thomas Child Hayllar	21 August 1878	21 December 1878		Sitting as an unofficial during J. M. Price acting as Colonial Secretary
	Emanuel Raphael Belilios	8 August 1881	1882	Belilios & Co.	Vice J. M. Price absent on leave
		25 February 1892	1900		Senior Unofficial Member (1892–1900); vice Phineas Ryrie deceased; reappointed on 25 February 1898
	Frederick Stewart	19 April 1883	1884	Registrar-General	Sitting as an unofficial
	Thomas Jackson	27 February 1884	1886	Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation	Elected by the Chamber of Commerce on 2 January
	Frederick David Sassoon	27 February 1884	1887	David Sassoon Sons & Co.
	Wong Shing	27 February 1884	1890		Senior Chinese Unofficial Member (1884—89)
	Henry George Thomsett	23 April 1884	3 July 1884	Royal Navy	Harbour Master sitting as unofficial
		27 August 1886	8 February 1888
	Alexander Palmer MacEwen	28 May 1886	1886	Holiday, Wise & Co.	Elected 27 April vice Thomas Jackson on leave
		19 September 1887	1890		Elected 17 September on retirement of Thomas Jackson
	John Bell-Irving	20 August 1886	1886	Jardine, Matheson & Co.	Vice William Keswick on leave
		14 August 1887	1889		Vice William Keswick resigned
	Catchick Paul Chater	10 December 1886	1887	Broker	Vice Frederick D. Sasssoon on leave
		17 January 1888	1906		Senior Unofficial Member (1900–06); vice David F. Sassoon resigned; reappointed on 15 January 1894
	Bendyshe Layton	15 May 1888	1889	Gibb Livingston & Co.	Elected 22 May vice A. MacEwen on leave
	James Johnstone Keswick	17 April 1889	1889	Jardine, Matheson & Co.	Vice J. Bell-Irving absent on leave
		2 May 1890	1896		Vice J. Bell-Irving resigned
		18 May 1899	1901		Vice J. J. Bell-Irving absent on leave
	Ho Kai	1 March 1890	28 February 1914		Senior Chinese Unofficial Member (1890–1914); Senior Unofficial Member (1906–14); re-appointed in 1896, 1902, 1908; retired on 28 February 1914
	Thomas Henderson Whitehead	6 October 1890	1894	Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China	Elected by 18 September, on resignation of A. MacEwen
		1895	13 April 1902		Re-elected 19 September 1896 on expiry of term
	James Jardine Bell-Irving	23 September 1892	1893	Jardine, Matheson & Co.	Vice J. J. Keswick on leave
		27 April 1895	1895		Vice J. J. Keswick on leave
		23 October 1896	1899		Vice J. J. Keswick resigned
		30 May 1901	1902		Vice J. J. Keswick on leave
	Alexander MacConachie	11 June 1894	1895	Gilman & Co.	Elected 9 June vice T. H. Whitehead on leave
	Wei Yuk	21 July 1896	21 October 1917		Senior Unofficial Member & Senior Chinese Unofficial Member (1914–17); reappointed in 1902[6] 1908,[7] 1914;[8] retired on expiry of term
	Roderick Mackenzie Gray	1 May 1900	1901	Reiss & Co.	Vice Emanuel Belilios resigned
	Herbert Smith	3 May 1900	1900	Butterfield & Swire	Elected 30 April vice T. H. Whitehead on leave
	John Thurburn	19 June 1900	12 July 1901	Chartered Mercantile Bank	Elected 18 June vice H. Smith resigned
		8 August 1901	1901		Vice R. M. Gray resigned
	George William Forbes Playfair	11 June 1902	23 December 1902		Acted during P. Chater's leave
	Charles Stewart Sharp	23 April 1902	1904	Gibb, Livingston & Co.	Vice John Thurburn resigned[9][10]
	Charles Wedderburn Dickson	28 May 1902	1906	Jardine, Matheson & Co.	Vice J. J. Bell-Irving resigned
	Robert Gordon Shewan	11 June 1902	1905	Shewan, Tomes & Co.	Elected 5 June vice Whitehead on leave; Elected 3 October, expiry of term
		11 May 1917	1917		Vice Edward Shellim on leave
		1 January 1919	31 December 1919		Vice Edward Shellim retired
	Henry Edward Pollock, K.C.	13 August 1903	1904	Barrister-at-Law	Elected 12 August vice Robert Gordon Shewan on leave
		17 January 1906	1941		Senior Unofficial Member (1917–41); reappointed in 1912, 1918, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1940
	Gershom Stewart	3 October 1903	1904	Bill Broker	Vice C. S. Sharp absent
		24 September 1904	1907		Vice C. S. Sharp resigned
	William Jardine Gresson	12 May 1904	15 December 1904	Jardine, Matheson & Co.	Vice C. W. Dickson on leave
		1 June 1906	14 April 1910		Vice C. W. Dickson resigned
	Edward Osborne	7 April 1906	1907	H.K. and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Co.	Vice G. Stewart absent
		19 December 1907	30 January 1913		Vice G. Stewart resigned
	Edbert Ansgar Hewett	30 April 1906	1915	P. & O. Steam Navigation Co.	Elected 26 April vice Shewan resgined; reappointed in 1912; died in office
	Henry Keswick	23 May 1907	1908	Jardine, Matheson & Co.	Vice W. J. Gresson on leave
		5 May 1910	1911		Vice W. J. Gresson on resigned
	Murray Stewart	19 March 1908	1908	Stewart Bros.	Elected 17 March vice Hewett on leave
		29 May 1909	1910		Nominated by JP vice H. E. Pollock on leave
		21 May 1912	1912		Elected 25 May vice Hewett on leave
	Sir Henry Spencer Berkeley, K.C.	9 May 1908	1908	Barrister-at-Law	Vice H. Keswick on leave
	Henry Adolphus Warre Slade	15 May 1908	1909	Gilman & Co.	Vice E. Osborne on leave
	Charles Montague Ede	26 April 1911	1911	Union Insurance Society of Canton	Vice Edward Osborne on leave
		1 February 1913	1913		Elected by JP vice H. E. Pollock on leave
		22 March 1924	1924		Vice A. O. Lang on leave
	Charles Henderson Ross	3 May 1911	8 May 1913	Jardine, Matheson & Co.	Vice H. Keswick on leave
	John Whyte Cooper Bonnar	12 September 1912	1912	Gibb, Livingston & Co.	Elected 10 September 1912 on resignation of M. Stewart
	Edward Shellim	6 March 1913	31 December 1918	David Sassoon & Co.	Vice E. Osborne resigned
	David Landale	9 May 1913	1919	Jardine, Matheson & Co. Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation	Vice C. H. Ross resigned
	Lau Chu-pak	5 September 1913	7 June 1922		Vice Ho Kai absent; appointed on 2 March 1914 vice Ho Kai retired; Senior Chinese Unofficial Member (1917–22); reappointed in 1920; died in office
	Percy Hobson Holyoak	14 December 1915	1921	Reiss & Co. Holyoak, Massey & Co., Ltd.	Elected on 10 December 1915 vice E. A. Hewett deceased; reappointed in 1921; died in office
		1923	1926		Return from leave on 3 January 1923
	Charles Edward Anton	7 November 1916	27 December 1916	Jardine, Matheson & Co.	Appointed vice David Landale on leave
	Stanley Hudson Dodwell	1 June 1917	October 1917	Dodwell & Co. Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation	Elected 29 May vice P. H. Holyoak on leave
		11 October 1918	1919		Appointed vice Edward Shellim on leave
		10 March 1919	October 1919		Appointed vice R. G. Shewan on leave
		1 January 1920	4 March 1920		Appointed vice R. G. Shewan retired
		20 October 1934	1934		Vice W. H. Bell on leave
		1936 April 1936	1941		Vice W. E. Shenton resigned
	Ho Fook	22 October 1917	1921		Appointed vice Wei Yuk retired
	Herbert William Bird	28 August 1918	1918	Architect, Palmer & Turner	Elected by JP vice H. E. Pollock on leave
		1 April 1921	1922		Vice A. V. D. Parr on leave
		26 May 1922	1922		Vice A. G. Stephen on leave
		26 July 1923	1927
	Chan Kai-ming	19 September 1918	13 November 1918		Vice Lau Chu-pak on leave
	Chaloner Grenville Alabaster K.C.	12 March 1919	31 October 1919	Barrister-at-Law	Vice H. E. Pollock acting Attorney General
		2 June 1924	1924		Vice H. E. Pollock on leave
		21 March 1925	1925		Vice H. E. Pollock on leave
	Edward Victor David Parr	17 May 1919	1919	Mackinnon, Mackenzie & Co. Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation	Elected 13 May vice P. H. Holyoak on leave[11]
		5 September 1919	1919
		26 March 1920	1923
	John Johnstone	23 May 1919	1921	Jardine, Matheson & Co.	Vice David Landale retired
	Arthur Rylands Lowe	6 May 1920	1920	Lowe Bingham & Matthew	Vice H. E. Pollock on leave
		12 May 1922	1922		Vice H. E. Pollock on leave
		30 October 1923	1923		Vice H. W. Bird on leave
	Alexander Gordon Stephen	5 April 1921	1923	Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation	Vice on John Johnstone retired
	Archibald Orr Lang	22 April 1921	18 June 1921	Gibb, Livingston & Co.	Elected 21 April 1921 vice H. Holyoak on leave
		10 November 1921	3 January 1923		Elected 24 November 1921 vice P. H. Holyoak on leave
		11 June 1923	1927		Vice E. V. D. Parr resigned
	Chau Siu-ki	28 April 1921	1921		Vice Ho Fook on leave
		29 May 1923	1923		Vice Ng Hon-tsz deceased
		5 March 1924	1924		Vice Chow Shou-son on leave
	Chow Shou-son	2 December 1921	1931		Vice Ho Fook retired; Senior Chinese Unofficial Member (1922–31)
	Ng Hon-tsz	7 June 1922	1923		Vice Lau Chu-pak deceased
	Robert Hormus Kotewall	4 October 1923	1935	H.K. Mercantile Co., Ltd.	Senior Chinese Unofficial Member (1931–35); Vice Robert Kotewall on leave
	Dallas Gerald Mercer Bernard	20 April 1926	1928	Jardine, Matheson & Co. Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation	Elected 16 April 1926 vice P. H. Holyoak on leave; Elected 14 June & appointed 15 June 1926 vice Mr. P. H. Holyoak deceased
	Wilfred Miller Vincent Koch	26 July 1926	1926	Medical Faculty, University	Vice H. E. Pollock on leave
	Arthur Cecil Hynes	4 April 1927	1929	Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation	Vice A. O. Lang resigned
	John Owen Hughes	18 May 1927	1931	Harry Wicking & Co.	Elected 16 May[12]
		4 May 1934	1934
	William Edward Leonard Shenton	1 June 1927	1927	Solicitor	Vice H. E. Pollock on leave
		3 April 1928	1936		Vice D. G. M. Bernard resigned
	Charles Gordon Stewart Mackie	1 October 1928	1928	Gibb, Livingston & Co.	Vice H. E. Pollock on leave
		19 June 1930	1931		Vice H. E. Pollock on leave
		7 May 1931	1935		Elected 4 May vice J. O. Hughes resigned
	Jose Pedro Braga	17 January 1929	1937	Braga & Co.	First Portuguese representative
	Ts'o Seen-wan	17 January 1929	1937		Senior Chinese Unofficial Member (1935—37)
	Benjamin David Fleming Beith	13 April 1929	1929	Jardine, Matheson & Co.	Vice J. O. Hughes on leave
		15 March 1930	1933		Vice A. C. Hynes resigned
	John Johnstone Paterson	17 April 1930	25 December 1941	Jardine, Matheson & Co.	Provisionally vice B. D. F. Beith on leave; appointed in succession of B. D. F. Beith; reappoiinted in 1934, 1938
	Antonio Ferreira Batalha Silva-Netto	30 May 1930	1930	Silva-Netto & Co.	Vice J. P. Braga on leave
		27 May 1936	June 1936
	William Henry Bell	7 May 1931	1931	Asiatic Petroleum Co. (South China) Ltd.	Vice J. O. Hughes resigned
		1 April 1932	1933		Vice C. G. S. on leave
		12 April 1934	October 1934		Vice J. J. Paterson on leave
		12 April 1935	1936		Elected 5 April on resignation of C. G. S. Mackie
	Chau Tsun-nin	2 December 1931	1939		Senior Chinese Unofficial Member (1937–39); reappointed in 1935, 1939
	Lo Man-kam	4 October 1935	25 December 1941	Solicitor	Senior Chinese Unofficial Member (1935–41)
	Marcus Theodore Johnson	8 June 1936	1936	Mackinnon, Mackenzie & Co.	Vice H. E. Pollock on leave
		21 May 1937	1938		Elected May vice A. W. Hughes resigned
	Edgar Davidson	8 August 1936	1936	Solicitor (Hastings & Co.)	Vice S. H. Dodwell on leave
		25 May 1937	1937		Vice S. H. Dodwell on leave
		17 July 1941	1941		Vice S. H. Dodwell on leave
	Arthur William Hughes	28 July 1936	1937	Union Insurance Society of Canton Ltd.	Elected 26 July on resignation of W. H. Bell.
	Leo d'Almada e Castro, Jr.	17 January 1937	25 December 1941	Barrister-at-Law	Vice J. P. Braga; reappointed in 1941
	Li Shu-fan	17 January 1937	16 January 1941	Medical Practitioner	Vice Tso Seen-wan
	Andrew Lusk Shields	29 April 1938	25 December 1941	Shewan Tomes & Co.	Vice M. T. Johnson on leave; elected 7 October on resignstion of M. T. Johnson
	John Keith Bousfield	27 May 1939	1939	Asiatic Petroleum Co. (South China) Ltd.	Elected on 25 May vice A. L. Shields on leave
	Li Tse-fong	7 July 1939	1939		Vice Li Shu-fan on leave
		17 January 1941	25 December 1941		Vice Li Shu-fan retired
	Thomas Ernest Pearce	11 March 1939	1941	J. D. Hutchison & Co.	Vice J. J. Paterson on leave
	William Ngartse Thomas Tam	3 December 1939	25 December 1941		In succession of Chau Tsun-nin

See also

• List of Executive Council of Hong Kong unofficial members 1896–1941
• List of Legislative Council of Hong Kong unofficial members 1946–1985

References

Bibliography

• Endacott, G. B. Government and people in Hong Kong, 1841–1962 : a constitutional history Hong Kong University Press. (1964)
• Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce 1925: Annual Report. (1925)
• Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce 1966: Annual Report. (1966)