Crawford Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch, (; 16 October 1917 – 27 May 2000), was a British politician, diplomat and colonial official who served as the 25th Governor of Hong Kong, from 1971 to 1982. He was the longest-serving governor of the colony, with four successive terms in office. He previously worked for the British Council in China and was the British ambassador to South Vietnam and Denmark.
Although MacLehose came from a diplomatic background and lacked colonial administrative experience, he was generally regarded as one of the most successful and popular governors of Hong Kong due to the number of social reforms enacted during his time and for Hong Kong's economic success during his time in office. Although his tenure as governor finished before formal British-Sino negotiations over Hong Kong commenced, he sought to improve diplomatic relations with China and held talks with Deng Xiaoping.Donald, Sir Alan, "MacLehose, (Crawford) Murray, Baron MacLehose of Beoch", Dictionary of National Biographies. Oxford: OUP, 5th edition, 2004. pp. 788-789."Lord MacLehose of Beoch" (1 June 2000)
Early life and career Murray MacLehose was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 16 October 1917, the second child of Hamish Alexander MacLehose who owned a printing business and Margaret Bruce Black. He was born whilst his father was away serving with the 8th Battalion of the Scottish Rifles during the First World War. MacLehose attended Rugby School in 1931 and Balliol College, Oxford where he read modern history.
After graduating he began working for the colonial administrative government in British Malaya in 1939 before being temporarily transferred to British consulate in Xiamen in 1940 to learn Hokkien which was widely spoken in northern Malaya. During World War II, while under the cover of being the British vice-consul, MacLehosep. 150 The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester, 2008 trained Chinese guerrillas to operate behind Japanese lines to carry out sabotage. He was detained by the Japanese army in December 1941 before being repatriated back to Britain in 1942.Spurr (1995), p. 225 He returned to China to work with British naval intelligence. During one episode, he reportedly walked into a club in Shantou controlled by the Japanese army where he calmly ordered a gin and tonic before leaving without obstruction. In May 1944 he met British scientist and historian Joseph Needham.
MacLehose was awarded the Order of the British Empire by the British government in 1946 for his wartime service.
Diplomatic career At the end of the Second World War, MacLehose served as the British Acting Consul in Fuzhou before becoming Consul General for the British Foreign Office in Hankou in 1948. He developed a keen interest in Chinese culture and learned to speak Mandarin."MacLEHOSE OF BEOCH, Baron" (1999) MacLehose returned to Britain in 1950 in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War in which the Chinese Communist Party took power.
MacLehose was seconded to the High Commission of the United Kingdom, Wellington in 1954 and was principal private secretary to Foreign Secretary George Brown in the late 1960s. In this role he helped to oversee the integration of the British Colonial Office into the Foreign Office.
In 1967, he was appointed the British ambassador to South Vietnam and held the role until 1969. His career was almost stalled when he left a copy of a confidential telegram in a bank in 1967. The document contained correspondence between then British Prime Minister Harold Wilson and US President Lyndon Johnson concerning the Vietnam War. Another British diplomat was able to recover the telegram before its contents could be leaked. Upon being informed of the potential security breach, Wilson and Brown decided against allowing an investigation into MacLehose's error out of appreciation of his abilities and record. This decision likely saved his career,Peter Graff, Mislaid MacLehose cable reveals UK efforts to end Vietnam War , The Standard, 2 November 2007 and allowed MacLehose to proceed to his next post as British ambassador to the Republic of Vietnam in 1967.
Between this time and 1971, MacLehose served in the British Embassy in Beijing and briefly as the Ambassador to Denmark.
Governor of Hong Kong MacLehose became Governor of Hong Kong in November 1971. He held the position until May 1982, making him Hong Kong's longest-serving governor: his 10 years and 6 months in office exceeded Sir Alexander Grantham's record by one month. He was widely and affectionately known as "Jock the Sock", in reference both to his Scottish heritage and to his name, 'hose' being a word meaning sock or stocking.
MacLehose was appointed Governor shortly after the 1967 Hong Kong riots due to his diplomatic background in Asia, perceived skill at political problems, and because the British government felt he lacked colonial baggage. MacLehose surmised that Hong Kong had already established economic capacity, and the time had come to reform Hong Kong's social policies.《香港總督麥理浩爵士》（1982年），頁21。
MacLehose, who stood well over six feet tall, avoided wearing his gubernatorial uniform, which made him ill at ease but wore a traditional colonial office uniform when he was sworn in as Governor by Hugh Selby Norman-Walker.
A diplomat with a British Labour Party background,The East Asian welfare model: welfare Orientalism and the state by Roger Goodman, Gordon White, and Huck-ju Kwon MacLehose introduced a wide range of reforms during his time in office that laid the foundation of Hong Kong as a cohesive, self-aware society. He had Chinese recognised as an official language for communication, alongside English. He greatly expanded welfare and set up a massive public housing programme. Under intense public pressure, he created the ICAC to root out corruption. By establishing the District Boards, he greatly improved government accountability.District Administration Hong Kong Government He oversaw the construction of the Mass Transit Railway, Hong Kong's transportation backbone, and other major infrastructure projects. On his watch, community and arts facilities were expanded, and public campaigns, such as against litter and violent crime, were introduced.
These changes required approval from the UK Government Treasury for increased expenditure, and it was against some opposition that, in his first two years in office, Hong Kong government expenditure grew by over 50%.
In private, MacLehose was a supporter of gay rights and was urged by activist Elsie Tu and members of the Hong Kong Anglican Church to reform laws that made homosexual acts illegal in line with international human rights standards. However, MacLehose chose not to change the laws out of concern that it would be met with hostility by the more socially conservative Chinese population. Homosexuality was later decriminalized in Hong Kong by the British administration and Legislative Council in 1991.
MacLehose was convinced China would eventually reclaim Hong Kong and opposed any significant move towards constitutional democracy in Hong Kong.
Under MacLehose's tenure, Hong Kong faced significant problems with illegal immigration from mainland China due to political turmoil following the Chinese Cultural Revolution. MacLehose issued the Immigration Ordinance of 1971 which mandated only those who have lived in Hong Kong for seven years can be issued a Hong Kong permanent resident identity card. He also initiated the "catch and release" policy of deciding to repatriate all captured illegal immigrants to China. MacLehose also listed 24 to 26 October 1979 as a three-day grace period to allow illegal immigrants who had already come to Hong Kong to apply for Hong Kong identity cards while police and border patrols with the mainland were intensified. His tenure also saw the arrival of Vietnamese boat people following the Fall of Saigon. MacLehose found sites across Hong Kong to set up twelve refugee centers, which were jointly managed by the Hong Kong government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. After MacLehose left office, the Vietnamese refugee problem continued to plague Hong Kong. Although the Hong Kong government later announced the implementation of a "lockdown policy" in July 1982 to prevent refugees from leaving refugee centers and reduce the impact of refugees on society. The refugee camps remained in operation until the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region closed the final camp in 2000.Sinclair (2 June 2000)
Other notable policies Other major policies introduced during the MacLehose era included:
The introduction of nine years of compulsory education.Social policy reform in Hong Kong and Shanghai: a tale of two cities by Linda Wong, Lynn T. White, and Shixun Gui The introduction of the Ten-year Housing Programme in 1972 to alleviate housing problems.Hong Kong's housing policy: a case study in social justice by Betty Yung The establishment of satellite 'new towns', such as Sha Tin and Tuen Mun. The establishment of the Country Parks. The introduction and approval of a Labour Ordinance.Hong Kong employment law: a practical guide by Pattie Walsh Labour ordinance The establishment of the social assistance scheme.Professional ideologies and preferences in social work: a global study by Idit Weiss and John Dixon The construction of the Mass Transit Railway.Frommer's Hong Kong by Beth Reiber An expansion of community facilities.Growing with Hong Kong: the University and its graduates: the first 90 years by University of Hong Kong The adoption of Chinese as an official language.Language policy, culture, and identity in Asian contexts by Amy Tsui and James W. Tollefson The introduction of paid holidays.Hong Kong's tortuous democratization: a comparative analysis by Ming Sing An increase in social service provision for the elderly. The introduction of infirmity and disability allowances.Understanding the Political Culture of Hong Kong: The Paradox of Activism and Depolitization by Wai-man Lam The introduction of redundancy payments for workers. The introduction of the Home Ownership Scheme to encourage owner-occupation.Hong Kong, China: growth, structural change, and economic stability during the transition by John Dodsworth and Dubravko Mihaljek The introduction of a major rehabilitation programme for the disabled and disadvantaged.Rehabilitation: A Life's Work by Harry Fang Sinyang and Lawrence Jeffery An increase in the number of schools and hospitals.Understanding the political culture of Hong Kong: the paradox of activism and depoliticization by Wai-Man Lam The introduction of Criminal and Law Enforcement Injuries Compensation.Promoting prosperity: the Hong Kong way of social policy by Catherine M. Jones The introduction of Traffic Accident Victims Assistance. The introduction of special needs allowances for the elderly. The introduction of sickness allowances for eligible manual and lower-paid non-manual workers. The introduction of weekly rest days. The introduction of Labour Tribunals. The establishment of the Junior Secondary Education Assessment (JSEA) system to increase the number of subsidised places in senior secondary education. The establishment of Geotechnical Engineering Office (part of Civil Engineering and Development Department) to ensure safeties of slopes and hillside to avoid further loss of lives due to landslides and slips of Sau Mau Ping in 1972 and 1976. The establishment of the Jubilee Sports Centre The establishment of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Relations with China