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Senior Unofficial Member

For the rank Senior Member in the US' Civil Air Patrol, see Civil Air Patrol § Senior members.

The Senior Unofficial Member, later Senior Member and, finally, Convenor of the Non-official Members, was the highest-ranking unofficial member of the Legislative Council (LegCo) and Executive Council (ExCo) of British Hong Kong, which was tasked with representing the opinions of all unofficial members of the council to the Governor.

Senior Unofficial Member
Traditional Chinese首席非官守議員
Transcriptions
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationSáu jihk fēi gūn sáu yíh yùhn
JyutpingSau2 zik6 fei1 gun1 sau2 ji5 jyun4
Senior Member
Traditional Chinese首席議員
Transcriptions
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationSáu jihk yíh yùhn
JyutpingSau2 zik6 ji5 jyun4
Convenor of the Non-official Members
Traditional Chinese非官守議員召集人
Transcriptions
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationFēi gūn sáu yíh yùhn jiuh jaahp yàhn
JyutpingFei1 gun1 sau2 ji5 jyun4 ziu6 zaap6 jan4
Senior Chinese Unofficial Member
Traditional Chinese首席華人非官守議員
Transcriptions
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationSáu jihk wàh yàhn fēi gūn sáu yíh yùhn
JyutpingSau2 zik6 waa4 jan4 fei1 gun1 sau2 ji5 jyun4

Ethnic Chinese members of either council were frequently referred to as "Chinese representatives" of the council before the introduction of elected seats in the LegCo; the most senior ethnic Chinese member was dubbed the "Senior Chinese Unofficial Member" (Chinese: 首席華人非官守議員) or "Senior Chinese Representative".

Background

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The Executive Council and the Legislative Council were set up in 1843, initially composing of colonial administrators only. The councils were initially chaired by the Governor of Hong Kong. The colony's residents remained unrepresented until 1850, when the government appointed two businessmen to the LegCo, with David Jardine of Jardines as the first Senior Unofficial Member of the LegCo in the history of Hong Kong. It was not until 1896, on his appointment to ExCo, that Catchick Paul Chater became the Senior Unofficial Member.

Historically, ExCo Senior Unofficial Member importance greatly exceeded that of the LegCo counterpart, thus their term of office were longer. Before the Second World War, there were only three Senior Unofficial Members in ExCo, whereas there have been four LegCo Senior Unofficial Members. Initially, membership was restricted to Europeans; ethnic Chinese were admitted at a later date. The first ethnic Chinese to be appointed LegCo Senior Unofficial Member was Ho Kai, who held the post from 1906 to 1914. The first ethnic Chinese to be appointed ExCo Senior Unofficial Member was Chau Tsun-nin, who held the post from 1953 to 1959. Prior to Chau Tsun-nin, Chow Shouson was also ExCo Senior Unofficial Member when he stood in for three months following Henry Pollock.

Senior Unofficial Members of the ExCo would customarily be knighted if they were not already knights, although their LegCo counterparts would not. Pre-WWII ExCo and LegCo Senior Unofficial Member typically served renewable four- to five-year terms. Their seniority implied they would not remain as ordinary Legco/Exco members at the end of their terms, but would leave the council on expiry.

In 1985, indirect elections were introduced for the Legislative Council. To avoid confusion, Sir Edward Youde, the then-Governor, renamed the post Senior Unofficial Member in both councils "Senior Member". The introduction in 1991 of direct elections to the LegCo more than doubled the number of its members. The directly elected members refused to take orders from the Senior Member. The Senior Member at the time, Allen Lee, was unable to represent the council with a single voice and would occasionally have run-ins with the directly elected members. In 1992, Governor David Wilson abolished the LegCo post of Senior Member. In 1995, Governor Chris Patten renamed the ExCo post of Senior Member "Convenor of the Non-official Members".

During colonial times, the Urban Council also had a post entitled "Senior Unofficial Member", with a similar role. However, its importance was considerably less than its ExCo and LegCo counterparts.

Statistical overview

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In total there have been 26 and 11 Senior Unofficial Members respectively of LegCo and ExCo. Of these, six have served as Senior Unofficial Members in both councils: Catchick Paul Chater, Sir Henry Pollock, Chau Tsun-nin, Kan Yuet-keung, Chung Sze-yuen and Lydia Dunn.

The longest serving Senior Unofficial Members of LegCo were Sir Henry Pollock and Phineas Ryrie, who sat for 24 and 22 years respectively; the three who served the shortest duration were George Lyall, John Dent and Kwok Chan, who sat for one year. Lydia Dunn was the only female; Dhun Jehangir Ruttonjee was the only Parsee; Roger Lobo was the only Portuguese.

The longest serving Senior Unofficial Members of ExCo was Catchick Paul Chater, who served a total of 30 years; the shortest tenures was Sir Sidney Gordon, serving under one year. Lydia Dunn was the first female ExCo Senior Unofficial Member. Chater was the only Senior Unofficial Member to die in office; Chau Tsun-nin and Chau Sik-nin were the only Senior Unofficial Members drawn from the same clan.

Executive Council

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No. Portrait Name Term Governor Remarks
1   Sir Catchick Paul Chater 1896–1926 Sir William Robinson
Sir Henry Arthur Blake
Sir Matthew Nathan
Sir Frederick Lugard
Sir Francis Henry May
Sir Edward Stubbs
Sir Cecil Clementi		 Former LegCo Senior Unofficial Member (1900–1906);
Died in office
2   Sir Henry Pollock 1926–1941 Sir Cecil Clementi
Sir William Peel
Sir Andrew Caldecott
Sir Geoffry Northcote
Sir Mark Aitchison Young		 Also LegCo Senior Unofficial Member;
[a]
Japanese occupation of Hong Kong (1941–1945)
3   Sir Arthur Morse 1946–1953 Sir Mark Aitchison Young
Sir Alexander Grantham
4   Sir Tsun-nin Chau 1953–1959 Sir Alexander Grantham
Sir Robert Brown Black		 Previously LegCo Senior Unofficial Member;
First Chinese Senior Unofficial Member
5   Sir Sik-nin Chau 1959−1962 Sir Robert Brown Black Previously LegCo Senior Unofficial Member
6   Albert Rodrigues 1962–1974 Sir Robert Brown Black
Sir David Trench
Sir Murray MacLehose		 First Portuguese Senior Unofficial Member
7   Sir Yuet-keung Kan 1974–1980 Sir Murray MacLehose Previously LegCo Senior Unofficial Member
8   Sir Sidney Gordon 1980 Sir Murray MacLehose Assumed office from March to August 1980
9   Sir Sze-yuen Chung 1980–1985 Sir Murray MacLehose
Sir Edward Youde		 Previously LegCo Senior Unofficial Member
Post renamed "Senior Member" in 1985
1   Sir Sze-yuen Chung 1985–1988 Sir Edward Youde
Sir David Wilson		 Previously LegCo Senior Unofficial Member
2   Dame Lydia Dunn 1988–1995 Sir David Wilson
Chris Patten		 Previously LegCo Senior Unofficial Member;
First female Senior Official Member
Post renamed "Convenor of the Non-official Members" in 1995
1   Dame Rosanna Wong 1995–1997 Chris Patten
Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997
See List of Convenor of the Non-Official Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong

Legislative Council

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Term Assembly Portrait Name Constituency Party Entered LegCo
Senior Unofficial Member
1850–1857 –   David Jardine Appointed Nonpartisan 1850
1857–1860 – Joseph Jardine Appointed Nonpartisan 1857
1860–1861 – John Dent Appointed Nonpartisan 1857
1861–1864 – Alexander Perceval Appointed Nonpartisan 1860
1864–1866 – Francis Chomley Appointed Nonpartisan 1861
1866–1867 – James Whittall Appointed Nonpartisan 1864
1867–1870 – Hugh Bold Gibb Appointed Nonpartisan 1866
1870–1891 – Phineas Ryrie Appointed Nonpartisan 1867
1891–1905 –   Catchick Paul Chater Appointed Nonpartisan 1886 [b]
1905–1914 –   Ho Kai Appointed Nonpartisan 1890
1914–1917 –   Wei Yuk Appointed Nonpartisan 1896
1917–1940 –   Henry Edward Pollock Appointed Nonpartisan 1906 [b][a]
1940–1941 – John Johnstone Paterson Appointed Nonpartisan 1930
Japanese occupation of Hong Kong (1941–1945)
1946–1950 – David Fortune Landale Appointed Nonpartisan 1946
1950–1953 –   Chau Tsun-nin Appointed Nonpartisan 1946 [c]
1953–1959 –   Chau Sik-nin Appointed Nonpartisan 1946 [c]
1959–1961 – Ngan Shing-kwan Appointed Nonpartisan 1951
1961–1962 –   Kwok Chan Appointed Nonpartisan 1952
1962–1968 – Dhun Jehangir Ruttonjee Appointed Nonpartisan 1953
1968–1972 – Kan Yuet-keung Appointed Nonpartisan 1961 [c]
1972–1974 –   Woo Pak-chuen Appointed Nonpartisan 1964
1974–1978 – Chung Sze-yuen Appointed Nonpartisan 1965 [c]
1978–1981 –   Oswald Cheung Appointed Nonpartisan 1968 [1]
1981–1985 – Roger Lobo Appointed Nonpartisan 1972 [2]
Senior Member
1985–1988 1985–88   Lydia Dunn Appointed Independent 1976 [c][3]
1988–1992 1988–91
1991–95 		  Allen Lee Appointed Independent (1978–91) 1978 [4]
CRC (1991–93)
Highest in order of precedence
1992–1997 1991–95
1995–97 		  Allen Lee Appointed (1978–95)
New Territories North-east (1995–97)		 CRC (1991–93) 1978
Liberal (1991–98)
1997–1998 PLC Wong Siu-yee N/A LDF (1996–97) 1996
HKPA (1997–98)
1998–2004 1st
2nd 		Kenneth Ting Industrial (First) Liberal 1998
2004–2008 3rd   James Tien Appointed (1988–91) LDF (1988–91) 1988
Continuous from 1998
Industrial (First) (1993–95) BPF (1993)
Liberal (1993–2008)
Commercial (First) (1998–2004)
New Territories East (2004–08)
2008–2016 4th
5th 		  Albert Ho New Territories West (1995–97) Democratic 1995
Continuous from 1998
New Territories West (1998–2012)
District Council (Second) (2012–16)
2016–2020 6th   James To Kowloon West (1991–95)
Kowloon South-west (1995–97) 		UDHK (1991–94) 1991
Continuous from 1998
Democratic (1994–2020)
Kowloon West (1998–2012)
District Council (Second) (2012–20)
2020–2021 6th   Abraham Shek Real Estate and Construction BPA 2000
2022– 7th   Tommy Cheung Catering Liberal 2000

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Chow Shouson stood in between September and December 1928
  2. ^ a b Also ExCo Senior Unofficial Member
  3. ^ a b c d e Later became ExCo Senior Unofficial Member

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Hon Oswald Victor CHEUNG – Citation". HKU. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Obituary: Sir Roger Lobo, Hong Kong lawmaker who sought transparency on pre-handover talks". South China Morning Post. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Members database (Lydia Dunn)". Legislative Council of Hong Kong. 30 October 1985 – 25 August 1988 Appointed (Senior Unofficial Member)
  4. ^ "Liberal Party founding chairman Allen Lee dead at 80". The Standard. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  • Hong Kong Government Gazette, Hong Kong: GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG, 1852–1941.
  • Hansard, Hong Kong: HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, 1884–1992.
  • 〈港府昨正式發表行政局議員名單〉，《工商日報》, p. 4, 8 May 1946.
  • 〈行政局議員已全部委出〉，《工商日報》p. 4, 30 May 1946.
  • Hong Kong Government Gazette, Hong Kong: GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG, 1951–1959.
  • Hong Kong Annual Report, Hong Kong: Government Press, 1951–1969.
  • Endacott, G. B., Government and people in Hong Kong, 1841–1962: A Constitutional History, Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1964.
  • 鄭棟材，CHINESE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE AND EXECUTIVE COUNCILS IN HONG KONG UP TO 1941, 29 April 1968.
  • 鍾士元，《香港回歸歷程－鍾士元回憶錄》，香港：中文大學出版社，2001.
  • Li, Simon, FACT SHEET-"THE FIRST" in Legislative Council History, Hong Kong: HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, 13 January 2003.
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