Senior Unofficial Member

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.

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" () or "Senior Chinese Representative".

Background 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 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 No. Portrait Name Term Governor Remarks1 Sir Catchick Paul Chater 1896–1926 Sir William RobinsonSir Henry Arthur BlakeSir Matthew NathanSir Frederick LugardSir Francis Henry MaySir Edward StubbsSir Cecil Clementi Former LegCo Senior Unofficial Member (1900–1906);Died in office2 Sir Henry Pollock 1926–1941 Sir Cecil ClementiSir William PeelSir Andrew CaldecottSir Geoffry Northcote Also LegCo Senior Unofficial Member; Japanese occupation of Hong Kong (1941–1945)3 Sir Arthur Morse 1946–1953 Sir Mark Aitchison YoungSir Alexander Grantham 4 Sir Tsun-nin Chau 1953–1959 Sir Alexander GranthamSir Robert Brown Black Previously LegCo Senior Unofficial Member;First Chinese Senior Unofficial Member5 Sir Sik-nin Chau 1959−1962 Sir Robert Brown Black Previously LegCo Senior Unofficial Member 6Albert Rodrigues 1962–1974 Sir Robert Brown BlackSir David TrenchSir Murray MacLehose First Portuguese Senior Unofficial Member7Sir Yuet-keung Kan 1974–1980 Sir Murray MacLehose Previously LegCo Senior Unofficial Member 8Sir Sidney Gordon 1980 Sir Murray MacLehose Assumed office from March to August 19809Sir Sze-yuen Chung 1980–1985 Sir Murray MacLehoseSir Edward Youde Previously LegCo Senior Unofficial Member Post renamed "Senior Member" in 19851Sir Sze-yuen Chung 1985–1988 Sir Edward YoudeSir David Wilson Previously LegCo Senior Unofficial Member 2Dame Lydia Dunn 1988–1995 Sir David WilsonChris Patten Previously LegCo Senior Unofficial Member;First female Senior Official Member Post renamed "Convenor of the Non-official Members" in 19951Dame Rosanna Wong 1995–1997 Chris Patten Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997See List of Convenor of the Non-Official Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong

Legislative Council

Term Assembly PortraitName 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 1905–1914 – Ho Kai Appointed Nonpartisan 1890 1914–1917 – Wei Yuk Appointed Nonpartisan 1896 1917–1940 – Henry Edward Pollock Appointed Nonpartisan 1906 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 1953–1959 – Chau Sik-nin Appointed Nonpartisan 1946 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 1972–1974 – Woo Pak-chuen Appointed Nonpartisan 1964 1974–1978 – Chung Sze-yuen Appointed Nonpartisan 1965 1978–1981 – Oswald Cheung Appointed Nonpartisan 1968 1981–1985 – Roger Lobo Appointed Nonpartisan 1972 Senior Member 1985–1988 1985–88 Lydia Dunn Appointed Independent 1976 1988–1992 1988–911991–95 Allen Lee Appointed Independent (1978–91) 1978 Highest in order of precedence 1992–1997 1991–951995–97 Allen Lee Appointed (1978–95)New Territories North-east (1995–97) 1978 1997–1998 PLC Wong Siu-yee N/A LDF (1996–97) 1996 HKPA (1997–98) 1998–2004 1st2nd Kenneth Ting Industrial (First) Liberal 1998 2004–20083rdJames TienAppointed (1988–91)Industrial (First) (1993–95)Commercial (First) (1998–2004)New Territories East (2004–08) LDF (1988–91)1988Continuous from 1998 BPF (1993) Liberal (1993–2008)2008–20164th5thAlbert HoNew Territories West (1995–97)New Territories West (1998–2012)District Council (Second) (2012–16) Democratic 1995Continuous from 19982016–20206thJames ToKowloon West (1991–95)Kowloon South-west (1995–97)Kowloon West (1998–2012)District Council (Second) (2012–20) UDHK (1991–94)1991Continuous from 1998 Democratic (1994–2020) 2020–2021 6th Abraham Shek Real Estate and Construction BPA 2000 2022–2025 7th Tommy Cheung Catering Liberal 2000 2026– 8th Starry Lee Kowloon Central DAB 2008 Also President of the Legislative Council Notes

See also Executive Council of Hong Kong Legislative Council of Hong Kong Senior Chinese Unofficial Member Unofficial Member Father of the House

References

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.

External links CHINESE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE AND EXECUTIVE COUNCILS IN HONG KONG UP TO 1941