Wong Ker-lee

Wong Ker-lee (Chinese: 黄克立; 15 August 1910 – 1 May 2004) was a Fujian-born Hong Kong businessman and politician. He was the member of the National Committee of the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and member of the its standing committee.

Biography

Wong was born in 1910 in Quanzhou, Fujian. He was graduated from the Jimei Middle School and Xiamen University in 1935 in Economics and was an accountant for the two schools. He was the revenue commissioner of Tong'an District, Xiamen and Quanzhou during the Second Sino-Japanese War and was an adviser of the provincial government. After the victory, he was sent to Taiwan to represent the Nationalist government to receive the surrender of Japan. Between 1946 and 1947, he was the Mayor of Taichung.

Wong left Taiwan after the February 28 Incident. When he arrived in Hong Kong, he worked at the Chi Yu Bank under the recommendation of the bank's owner Tan Kah Kee as an assistant manager. In 1955, Wong founded the Overseas Trust Bank and subsequently the Hong Kong Industrial and Commercial Bank, until two banks were took over by the Hong Kong government in 1985. In the 1960s, he set up the Winco Paper Products and Tai Cheng Securities Ltd. and became the chairman of the two companies. He was also a director of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals from 1969 to 1970.

He was first appointed to the Fujian Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in 1979. He was then appointed member of the National Committee of the 6th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in 1983 and became a member of standing committee for the 7th, 8th and 9th CPPCC from 1988 to 2003. In 1997, he was among the first recipients of the Grand Bauhinia Medal, the highest honour of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Wong died in Hong Kong on 1 May 2004, aged 95. He was survived by his wife Wong Lin Chin-hwa and children Philip Wong Yu-hong, who was also a businessman and politician, Patrick Wong Yu-pei and Kay Wong Yu-chen.