Henry Lee Hau Shik
Encyclopedia
Tun Henry Lee Hau Shik, S.M.N., K.B.E.
, J.P.
, ; also known as H.S. Lee was born on 19 November 1900 in Hong Kong
Lee was the eldest son of Lee Kwai-lim and Kam Kwok-chun. He migrated to Malaya
in 1924 to take over his family's business in tin mining. Lee was famed for playing an important role in Malaysian politics and was the founder of China Press
on 1 February 1946. He died on 22 June 1988 in Malaysia.
in Hong Kong and completed Law and Economics at Cambridge University. He then worked briefly in Hainan
, China and with the P&O Bank
in Hong Kong. In 1949, together with Leong Yew Koh and Lim Chong Eu
, Lee formed the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA). In 1956, Lee was selected to represent the Malayan Chinese to sign the independence treaty in London
, together with the Malay rulers. On his retirement in 1959, Lee started the Development and Commercial Bank
which in 1984 became Malaysia’s fifth largest bank. Two of his sons went into politics. Datuk Douglas Lee contested successfully in the 1952 KL elections and Tan Sri Dato' Alex Lee was briefly in MCA and later a deputy minister representing Gerakan.
province,China. The family owned Kam Lun Tai was in silk trade, remittance, and tin mining, and had offices in Hong Kong
and Singapore
. In 1924, Lee came to Kuala Lumpur
to venture in tin mining business, subsequently, he had successfully penetrated in the mining business and later acquired more mines in various Malay States.
Knowing that it was important for him to be known by the public, Lee kept himself active in the guilds and Chinese clan associations. He helped to form the Guangdong Association, Chinese Mining Association, and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. When Japan invaded China in 1937, Lee headed the Selangor China Relief Fund in support of China. Lee was known for his association with China’s Kuomintang Party.
In 1941, when war waged in Malaya, Lee and his family evacuated to India. He met Chiang Kai-shek in Chongqing
, China. Knowing of his Cambridge background and close association with the British, Chiang appointed him a colonel and, in that capacity, Lee liaised between the British and Chinese armies along the China-Burma border.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, J.P.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, ; also known as H.S. Lee was born on 19 November 1900 in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
Lee was the eldest son of Lee Kwai-lim and Kam Kwok-chun. He migrated to Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
in 1924 to take over his family's business in tin mining. Lee was famed for playing an important role in Malaysian politics and was the founder of China Press
China Press
China Press is a Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper set up by Tun Henry Lee Hau Shik and first published on 1 February 1946....
on 1 February 1946. He died on 22 June 1988 in Malaysia.
Social Life
Lee received his education at Queen’s CollegeQueen's College, Hong Kong
Queen's College , initially named The Government Central School in 1862, later renamed as Victoria College in 1889, is a sixth form college for boys with a secondary school attached. It was the first public secondary school founded in Hong Kong by the British colonial government...
in Hong Kong and completed Law and Economics at Cambridge University. He then worked briefly in Hainan
Hainan
Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...
, China and with the P&O Bank
P&O Bank
In 1920 James Mackay, later the Earl of Inchcape, of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, established the P&O Banking Corporation to develop the shipping company's private banking business. In the same year, Lloyds Bank and National Provincial Bank took shares in P&O Bank, which in...
in Hong Kong. In 1949, together with Leong Yew Koh and Lim Chong Eu
Lim Chong Eu
Tun Dato' Seri Dr. Lim Chong Eu was a Malaysian politician who served as the second Chief Minister of Penang for a record 21 years. He was also the founding president of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, a member of the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional. He was termed the "Architect of Modern...
, Lee formed the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA). In 1956, Lee was selected to represent the Malayan Chinese to sign the independence treaty in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, together with the Malay rulers. On his retirement in 1959, Lee started the Development and Commercial Bank
RHB Bank
RHB Bank Berhad is a bank based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It specializes in commercial banking, corporate and investment banking and international banking services...
which in 1984 became Malaysia’s fifth largest bank. Two of his sons went into politics. Datuk Douglas Lee contested successfully in the 1952 KL elections and Tan Sri Dato' Alex Lee was briefly in MCA and later a deputy minister representing Gerakan.
Family Members
Lee's great grandfather had been appointed as senior official during the reign of Emperor Tongzi in the Qing dynasty. His grandfather was a famous scholar and philanthropist in the home-town, Xinyi. Lee had two brothers and two sisters. He first married Dawn Kathleen Glen an English woman, where they had a son. Lee later divorced and remarried where he had eight more children.- Lee Lan-kiu (Lee Kwai-lim's uncle)
- Lee Wai-sheung (Lee Hau-shik's uncle)
- Lee Yu-kam (Lee Kwai-lim's younger brother)
- Datuk Datin Paduka Ruby Ong Chian Kim, PJN, DSSA, JSM, KMN, AMN, PJK (Dato' Douglas K.K. Lee's wife). She was the daughter of Ong Ee Lim of Ipoh, who had founded the Ruby Cinema in Jalan Raja Musa Aziz, Ipoh. Ruby married Douglas on 4 July 1947, and they had three children and four grandchildren.
- Lee Hau Wai = Lee Hau Shik's youngest brother (he joined the Kuomintang in China, and was murdered by the People Liberal Army in Shanghai in 1948)
- Lee Hau Mo= Lee Hau Shik's second brother (On 23 June 1969 he died in a car accident)
- 李汝惠 Lǐ Rǔ-huì = Lee Hau Shik's sister (she was accused for betrayed the Communist Party a was killed)
- Dato' Douglas K.K. Lee, JMN, PJK (李劍橋 Lǐ Jiàn-qiáo) = Lee Hau Shik's eldest son
- 李裕隆 Lǐ Yù-lóng (Tan Sri Dato' Alex Lee) = Lee Hau Shik's son (died on 31 October 1999 at the of 60), he was Deputy Minister of National Unity of Malaysia.
- George Lee Yau Lung - He is Lee Hau Shik's third surviving son, he is the Vice-president of the Senior Golfers’ Society of Malaysia and the Court of Emeritus Fellows of the Malaysian Institute of Management.
- 李福民 Lǐ Fú-mín (Kenneth Lee Fook Mun @ Omar Iskandar Lee Abdullah) = Lee Hau Shik's grandson (he was charged with a murder case)
Family Business
Unlike most Chinese immigrants, Lee came from a wealthy family in Zhenlong, GuangdongGuangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
province,China. The family owned Kam Lun Tai was in silk trade, remittance, and tin mining, and had offices in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. In 1924, Lee came to Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
to venture in tin mining business, subsequently, he had successfully penetrated in the mining business and later acquired more mines in various Malay States.
Knowing that it was important for him to be known by the public, Lee kept himself active in the guilds and Chinese clan associations. He helped to form the Guangdong Association, Chinese Mining Association, and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. When Japan invaded China in 1937, Lee headed the Selangor China Relief Fund in support of China. Lee was known for his association with China’s Kuomintang Party.
In 1941, when war waged in Malaya, Lee and his family evacuated to India. He met Chiang Kai-shek in Chongqing
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
, China. Knowing of his Cambridge background and close association with the British, Chiang appointed him a colonel and, in that capacity, Lee liaised between the British and Chinese armies along the China-Burma border.
Posts
- Honorary President of the Malaya Chinese Chamber of Commerce (1948-1955)
- Malaya Minister for Transport (1955-1957)
- Malaya Minister for Finance (1957-1959)
- Financial Chairman for Board of Commissioner of Currency Malaya (March 1959 - March 1961)