Chief Secretary for Administration

The chief secretary for administration is the second-highest government official in Hong Kong, right after the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. When the chief executive is on leave, the chief secretary for administration will act on their behalf.

The chief secretary for administration heads the Government Secretariat, which oversees the administration of the Region to which all other ministers belong. The chief secretary for administration reports to the chief executive and to the Legislative Council. Under Article 53 of the Basic Law, the position is constitutionally known as "Administrative Secretary".

The chief secretary formulates and implements government policy, gives advice to the Chief Executive as a member of the Executive Council, and is responsible for managing the Government's relationship with the Legislative Council and drawing up the Government's legislative programme. The office (“Department of Administration” per Article 60 of the Basic Law) also exercises certain statutory functions, such as the handling of appeals from designated public bodies.Chief Secretary's Office, Hong Kong Government

Prior to the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, the office was known simply as "Chief Secretary" (), and before 27 August 1976, "Colonial Secretary"(). Until the introduction of the Principal Officials Accountability System in 2002, the Chief Secretary was a civil service position, and in this capacity, the head of the public service. In 2005, Henry Tang became the first person who has not been a civil servant to be appointed to the office of the chief secretary.

From the 1870s to 1902 the colonial secretary was the de facto lieutenant governor of Hong Kong which was once held by the commander of British Forces in Hong Kong before 1870s when the post was not lapsed from power. After 1902 the title disappeared from use as the second highest post was transferred to the colonial secretary and later, chief secretary.

List of chief secretaries of Hong Kong Colonial secretaries, 1843–1941 No. Portrait Name Term of office Governor Ref 1 George Alexander Malcolm麻恭 26 June 1843 29 August 1843Sir Henry Pottinger 2 Sir Frederick Wright-Bruce卜魯斯 9 February 1844 1846 Sir John Francis Davis 3 William Caine威廉·堅 3 September 1846 12 April 1854 Sir George Bonham 4 William Thomas Mercer孖沙 13 April 1854 14 May 1867 Sir John Bowring Sir Hercules Robinson Sir Richard MacDonnell 5 John Gardiner Austin柯士甸 7 May 1868 4 April 1878 Sir Arthur Kennedy Sir John Pope Hennessy 6 William Henry Marsh馬師 3 January 1879 10 June 1887 Sir George Bowen 7 Frederick Stewart史釗域 5 October 1887 6 October 1889 Sir William Des Voeux 8 Francis Fleming菲林明 17 January 1890 26 February 1892 Sir William Robinson 9 G. T. M. O'Brien柯布連 11 March 1892 30 April 1894 10 Sir Stewart Lockhart駱克 26 March 1895 23 April 1902 Sir Henry Arthur Blake 11 Sir Francis Henry May梅含理 14 May 1902 30 April 1911 Sir Matthew Nathan Sir Frederick Lugard 12 Warren Delabere Barnes班士 7 June 1911 28 October 1911 13 Sir Claud Severn施勳 22 February 1912 14 November 1925 Sir Francis Henry May Sir Reginald Stubbs 14 Sir Thomas Southorn修頓 1 May 1926 23 March 1936 Sir Cecil Clementi Sir William Peel Sir Andrew Caldecott 15 Norman Lockhart Smith史美 26 November 1936 8 December 1941 Sir Geoffry Northcote Sir Mark Aitchison Young 16 Sir Franklin Gimson詹遜 8 December 1941 25 December 1941

Colonial secretaries, 1946–1976 No. Portrait Name Term of office Duration Governor Ref 17 David Mercer MacDougall麥道高 1 May 1946 11 May 1949 Sir Mark Aitchison Young Sir Alexander Grantham 18 John Fearns Nicoll列誥 25 May 1949 23 January 1952 19 Sir Robert Brown Black柏立基 20 February 1952 30 March 1955 20 Edgeworth Beresford David戴維德 4 May 1955 24 January 1958 Sir Robert Brown Black 21 Claude Bramall Burgess白嘉時 24 January 1958 10 March 1963 22 Edmund Brinsley Teesdale戴斯德 11 March 1963 28 March 1965 Sir David Trench 23 Sir Michael Gass祈濟時 4 September 1965 22 January 1969 24 Sir Hugh Norman-Walker羅樂民 29 March 1969 29 September 1973 Sir Murray MacLehose 25 Sir Denys Roberts羅弼時 30 September 1973 26 August 1976

Chief secretaries, 1976–1997 No. Portrait Name Term of office Duration Governor Ref 1 Sir Denys Roberts羅弼時 27 August 1976 2 October 1978 Sir Murray MacLehose 2 Sir Jack Cater姬達 3 October 1978 19 November 1981 3 Sir Philip Haddon-Cave夏鼎基 20 November 1981 9 June 1985Sir Edward Youde 4 Sir David Akers-Jones鍾逸傑 10 June 1985 11 February 1987 5 Sir David Robert Ford霍德 12 February 1987 28 November 1993 Sir David Wilson Chris Patten 6 Anson Chan陳方安生 29 November 1993 30 June 1997

Chief secretaries for administration, 1997–present Political party:

No. Portrait Name Term of office DurationChief Executive Term Ref1 Anson Chan陳方安生 1 July 1997 30 April 2001 Tung Chee-hwa12 Sir Donald Tsang曾蔭權1 May 200131 May 2005 23 Rafael Hui Si-yan許仕仁 30 June 2005 30 June 2007 Donald Tsang24 Henry Tang Ying-yen唐英年 1 July 2007 30 September 2011 35 Stephen Lam Sui-lung林瑞麟 30 September 2011 30 June 2012 6 Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor林鄭月娥 1 July 2012 16 January 2017 Leung Chun-ying 47 Matthew Cheung Kin-chung張建宗 16 January 2017 25 June 2021 Carrie Lam 58 John Lee Ka-chiu李家超 25 June 2021 7 April 2022 9 Eric Chan Kwok-ki陳國基 1 July 2022 Incumbent John Lee 6

Residence

The Chief Secretary resides at an official residence at 15 Barker Road, The Peak, Hong Kong, which is also known as Victoria House and Victoria Flats.

Chief Secretary for Administration

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