Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch
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Crawford Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch KT, GBE, KCMG, KCVO, PC, HonLLD, MA (Chinese name: 麥理浩 ; October 16, 1917 - May 27, 2000) was the 25th Governor of Hong Kong, from 1971 to 1982.
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[edit] Early life and career
Murray MacLehose was born in Glasgow, Scotland in October of 1917. He attended Rugby School and Balliol College, University of Oxford. Before being appointed Governor of Hong Kong in 1971, he served at the British Embassy in Peking and, subsequently, as the British Ambassador to Vietnam and Denmark.
[edit] Governor of Hong Kong
MacLehose became Governor of Hong Kong in November, 1971, holding this position until May 1982, making him Hong Kong's longest serving governor; his 10 years and 6 months in office exceeding Sir Alexander Grantham's previous record by one month.
[edit] Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC)
During his Governorship, MacLehose established the ICAC (the Independent Commission Against Corruption) in 1974. This was done to combat the then-prevalent corruption which existed in the Civil Service and, especially in the police force.
The creation of ICAC sparked off a massive act of disobedience and a certain amount of violence by serving police officers, many of whom feared prosecution for their long years of corrupt behaviour as members of what was often dubbed (with some irony) "the best police force that money can buy".
Faced with a potential police rebellion and the severe disruption that this would have caused to everyday life, MacLehose extended a general amnesty to the police force in order to diffuse the situation. Some officers (especially the notorious detective station sergeants) were, however, excluded from the amnesty and, as of 2006, there are still warrants out for the arrest of some of them. Although the measure was effective, it caused considerable misgivings, especially amongst the small group of police officers who had resisted the temptation to lapse into corrupt practices and who, as a result, had suffered adverse career consequences.
Eventually, however, the ICAC helped Hong Kong become one of the least corrupt societies in Asia, if not the world.
[edit] Other Policies
Other major policies in the MacLehose era include:
- Introduction of 9 years of compulsory education.
- Introduction of a Ten-year Housing Programme in 1972 to alleviate housing problems.
- Introduction and approval of a Labour Ordinance
- Establishment of social assistance scheme
- Construction of the Mass Transit Railway
- Expansion of community facilities
- Development of satellite towns, such as Sha Tin and Tuen Mun.
[edit] Hong Kong sovereignty negotiations
In 1979, MacLehose raised the question of Britain's 99-year lease of the New Territories (an area that encompasses all territories north of Boundary Street on the Kowloon Peninsula), with Deng Xiaoping. The talks, although inconclusive at the time, eventually involved top British Government officials and paved the way for the handover of the Hong Kong in its entirety, including those parts ceded to the UK in perpetuity, to the People's Republic of China on July 1, 1997.
[edit] Post-Governorship and later life
After his Governorship ended in 1982, MacLehose was made a life peer as Baron MacLehose of Beoch, of Maybole in the District of Kyle and Carrick and of Victoria in Hong Kong, later that year. In 1983, MacLehose was made a Knight of the Thistle. When he was 80 years old, he attended the Handover ceremony of Hong Kong in 1997. MacLehose died in Ayrshire, Scotland in May 2000.
[edit] Honours
- Knight of the Thistle (KT) (1983)
- Knight Grand Cross (GBE)
- Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG)
- Knight Commander of the Victorian Order (KCVO)
- Privy Councillor
- Honorary Doctorate
- Life Peerage (1982), Barony of MacLehose of Beoch, of Maybole in the District of Kyle and Carrick and of Victoria in Hong Kong.
[edit] Trivia
- Well over six feet tall and very decidedly Scottish, albeit after a somewhat aristocratic fashion, MacLehose looked every inch the benign and genial colonial governor. Despite this, he always felt very much ill at ease in his gubernatorial uniform and took great pains to avoid wearing it. He was widely and affectionately known as "Jock the Sock", in reference both to his heritage and to his name.
- An enthusiastic and indefatigable hiker, Maclehose gave his name to the 100-kilometre MacLehose Trail, containing ten hiking segments stretching from Sai Kung to Tsuen Wan in Hong Kong.
- The MacLehose Medical Rehabilition Centre, the MacLehose Dental Centre, the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village, and the Sir Murray MacLehose Trust Fund was also named to commemorate him or his wife.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir David Clive Crosbie Trench |
Governor of Hong Kong 1971 - 1982 |
Succeeded by Sir Edward Youde |
[edit] External links
Categories: 1917 births | 2000 deaths | Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford | Old Rugbeians | British diplomats | Governors of Hong Kong | Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George | Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order | Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire | Knights of the Thistle | Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom | Life peers
