David Ford, the last British chief secretary in Hong Kong, dies aged 82
Ford was chief secretary in the city between 1986 and 1993
PUBLISHED : Monday, 11 September, 2017, 12:05am
UPDATED : Monday, 11 September, 2017, 11:20am
Related topics
David Ford, the last Briton to lead Hong Kong’s civil service as chief secretary in the final years before the handover, died on Saturday night. He was 82.
Ford was chief secretary of Hong Kong between 1986 and 1993, the last in a line of more than a century of expatriate domination of the government hierarchy, before he was succeeded by Anson Chan Fang On-sang, who confirmed Ford’s death on Sunday night.
As a superior, Ford was deeply respected and loved by colleagues in the civil service
In a statement, she extended her condolences to Ford’s family and praised Ford for contributing greatly to the smooth transfer of power in 1997 and pushing for the construction of the Chek Lap Kok International Airport.
“As a superior, Ford was deeply respected and loved by colleagues in the civil service,” she said.
Born on February 22, 1935, David Robert Ford joined the British Army when he was 20 and went on to serve a 15-year military career, which saw him posted to 17 outposts across the empire.
Ford was seconded to the Hong Kong government in 1967, the year communist agents instigated a bloody riot that left 51 people dead. Rising through ranks to reach the top of the Information Services Department by 1974, he had direct experience in propaganda warfare with the communists in Hong Kong.
Between 1977 and 1979 he was moved back to the UK as an undersecretary at the Northern Ireland Office. His unspecified duty coincided with the IRA’s resurgence of violence in the period known as The Troubles. That portfolio made pro-China newspapers believe he was an MI6 agent.
From 1979 to 1993 he stayed in Hong Kong – except for 1980 to 1983 when he studied at the Royal College of Defence Studies and worked as the Hong Kong commissioner in London, a post he would take for a second time after he stepped down as chief secretary in 1993.
As soon as Britain’s role in Hong Kong ended in 1997, he found himself liberated from public service, focusing on breeding rare cattle and sheep in Devon. It wasn’t long, though, before he returned to work, joining PCCW as a non-executive director in 2002.
Most Popular
Viewed
- 1
![Zhang Yimou’s One Second depicts a man who escapes a prison farm in northwestern China in the 1970s – because he desperately wants to see a film – and an orphan he meets along the way. Photo: Handout]( "Zhang Yimou’s One Second depicts a man who escapes a prison farm in northwestern China in the 1970s – because he desperately wants to see a film – and an orphan he meets along the way. Photo: Handout")
- 2
![Total foreign direct investment in Tianjin plunged to US$4.85 billion last year from US$10.61 billion in 2017 and US$10.1 billion in 2016, dragging down the growth rate in the port city, which had once been among the top five fastest-growing large cities in China. Illustration: Henry Wong]( "Total foreign direct investment in Tianjin plunged to US$4.85 billion last year from US$10.61 billion in 2017 and US$10.1 billion in 2016, dragging down the growth rate in the port city, which had once been among the top five fastest-growing large cities in China. Illustration: Henry Wong")
- 3
![Around 100 million workers are employed in China’s manufacturing industry, with data from the National Bureau of Statistics showing manufacturing accounted for about 30 per cent of the nation’s gross domestic product in the first three quarters of 2018. Photo: AP]( "Around 100 million workers are employed in China’s manufacturing industry, with data from the National Bureau of Statistics showing manufacturing accounted for about 30 per cent of the nation’s gross domestic product in the first three quarters of 2018. Photo: AP")
- 4
![A meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and the US’ top trade negotiators would serve as a sign of goodwill in an effort to agree a trade deal. Photo: EPA-EFE]( "A meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and the US’ top trade negotiators would serve as a sign of goodwill in an effort to agree a trade deal. Photo: EPA-EFE")
- 5
![The adverts for the Coconut Palm drink feature women frolicking on a beach. Photo: Weibo]( "The adverts for the Coconut Palm drink feature women frolicking on a beach. Photo: Weibo")
Shared
- 1
![The adverts for the Coconut Palm drink feature women frolicking on a beach. Photo: Weibo]( "The adverts for the Coconut Palm drink feature women frolicking on a beach. Photo: Weibo")
- 2
![The proposed ban has raised questions about the drastic change in policy, from regulation to outright prohibition. Photo: Edward Wong]( "The proposed ban has raised questions about the drastic change in policy, from regulation to outright prohibition. Photo: Edward Wong")
- 3
![A meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and the US’ top trade negotiators would serve as a sign of goodwill in an effort to agree a trade deal. Photo: EPA-EFE]( "A meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and the US’ top trade negotiators would serve as a sign of goodwill in an effort to agree a trade deal. Photo: EPA-EFE")
- 4
![Zhang Yimou’s One Second depicts a man who escapes a prison farm in northwestern China in the 1970s – because he desperately wants to see a film – and an orphan he meets along the way. Photo: Handout]( "Zhang Yimou’s One Second depicts a man who escapes a prison farm in northwestern China in the 1970s – because he desperately wants to see a film – and an orphan he meets along the way. Photo: Handout")
- 5
![China’s family planning policy has been questioned as fines apply to couples having a third child despite falling fertility rates. Photo: Xinhua]( "China’s family planning policy has been questioned as fines apply to couples having a third child despite falling fertility rates. Photo: Xinhua")
Commented
- 1
![Taiwan commissioned two former US Navy Perry-class frigates into service in November. Photo: CNA]( "Taiwan commissioned two former US Navy Perry-class frigates into service in November. Photo: CNA")
- 2
![The Trump administration should focus less on its trade deficit with China and more on developing the technology of the future, according a group of prominent China-watchers. Photo: AFP]( "The Trump administration should focus less on its trade deficit with China and more on developing the technology of the future, according a group of prominent China-watchers. Photo: AFP")
- 3
![Total foreign direct investment in Tianjin plunged to US$4.85 billion last year from US$10.61 billion in 2017 and US$10.1 billion in 2016, dragging down the growth rate in the port city, which had once been among the top five fastest-growing large cities in China. Illustration: Henry Wong]( "Total foreign direct investment in Tianjin plunged to US$4.85 billion last year from US$10.61 billion in 2017 and US$10.1 billion in 2016, dragging down the growth rate in the port city, which had once been among the top five fastest-growing large cities in China. Illustration: Henry Wong")
- 4
![White House executive order that would bar Huawei from US will be released within days, American officials say]()
- 5
![Around 100 million workers are employed in China’s manufacturing industry, with data from the National Bureau of Statistics showing manufacturing accounted for about 30 per cent of the nation’s gross domestic product in the first three quarters of 2018. Photo: AP]( "Around 100 million workers are employed in China’s manufacturing industry, with data from the National Bureau of Statistics showing manufacturing accounted for about 30 per cent of the nation’s gross domestic product in the first three quarters of 2018. Photo: AP")
You may also like
Sibling rivalry returns to racing in the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup
In partnership with: HKJC
Brexit: How influential is it on the UK property market?
Brought to you by JLL
Comments: