David See-chai Lam, (; July 25, 1923November 22, 2010) was a Hong Kong-born Canadian banker, businessman, investor, philanthropist, and politician. From 1988 to 1995, Lam was the 25th

Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia The lieutenant governor of British Columbia () is the representative of the monarch in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The office of lieutenant governor is an office of the Crown and serves as a representative of the monarchy in the p ...

, and he was the first

Chinese Canadian Chinese Canadians are Canadians of full or partial Chinese people, Chinese ancestry, which includes both naturalized Chinese immigrants and Canadian-born Chinese. They comprise a subgroup of East Asian Canadians which is a further subgroup of ...

to be appointed as a

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

in Canada. He was known for his charitable efforts, donating millions of dollars and leveraging millions more to support educational institutions and activities in Hong Kong, Canada, and the United States.

Early life

David See-chai Lam was born in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

on July 25, 1923; he was the second oldest of nine children of Lam Chi Fung, a Hong Kong

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

importer and distributor, and Chan Chik-Ting Lam. When Lam turned 18, his plans to attend university were sidelined by

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. During the war, he worked in the administration of the family’s coal business, and his life was often at risk. Among the close calls, Lam was bombed at a dock, chased by

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

, and opted not to board a ship that was later

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

ed. Understanding the danger, Chi Fung decided it was time for Lam to undertake his university studies. In 1947, Lam earned a degree in economics from

Lingnan University Lingnan University a public research university located in Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong. Lingnan University has 3 faculties, 3 Schools, 16 departments, 2 language centres, and 2 units (science and music), offering 29 degree honours ...

in Hong Kong. He developed fluency in five languages, and earned an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

degree from

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

in the United States. He returned to Hong Kong in 1949 and began a successful career in his family's

banking A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

business at

Ka Wah Bank Ka Wah Bank (Traditional Chinese: 嘉華銀行有限公司) was a Hong Kong–based bank that operated between 1923 and 1998 when it was acquired by CITIC Group. In 1998, the bank was acquired by CITIC International Financial Holdings and ren ...

. While dancing at a

ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but sometimes ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for s ...

, Lam met his future wife, Dorothy. They dated for two years, and married in the fall of 1954. Together they had three daughters: Deborah, Daphne, and Doreen. After working as a banker for 18 years, Lam and his family

immigrated Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

to Vancouver in 1967.

Career

Lam became a prominent real estate entrepreneur in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, and was a leading proponent of many groundbreaking real estate development ventures. The company he founded is now known as Pacific Canadian Investments (PCI). He is also noted for being a leading

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

. He founded the Floribunda Philanthropic Society, and the David & Dorothy Lam Foundation. He donated substantial funds to cultural projects in his adopted province and country. He served as Chairman of Hong Kong Baptist College, trustee of the Chancellor's Circle at the University of British Columbia, which later awarded him an honorary degree, and was a benefactor to the David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University. In 1986, he helped found the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival.

Lieutenant governor

In 1988

Governor General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Jeanne Sauvé Jeanne Mathilde Sauvé (; ; April 26, 1922 – January 26, 1993) was a Canadian politician, journalist and stateswoman who served as the 23rd governor general of Canada from 1984 to 1990 and as the 29th Speaker of the House of Commons (Canada), ...

, on the advice of Prime Minister

Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney (March 20, 1939 – February 29, 2024) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studi ...

, appointed him lieutenant governor. Lam represented the Crown during the term of three Premiers: William Vander Zalm,

Rita Johnston Rita Margaret Johnston (born April 22, 1935; née Leichert) is a Canadian politician in British Columbia. Johnston became the first female premier in Canadian history when she succeeded Bill Vander Zalm in 1991 to become the 29th premier of Br ...

, and

Michael Harcourt Michael Franklin Harcourt OC (born January 6, 1943) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 30th premier of British Columbia from 1991 to 1996, and before that as the 34th mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia's largest city, from ...

. He formally ended the practice of lieutenant governors wearing the Windsor uniform. This practice was reinstated by Lieutenant Governor Steven Point. Lam was Canada's second non-white lieutenant governor (the first being

Lincoln Alexander Lincoln MacCauley Alexander (January 21, 1922 – October 19, 2012) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who became the first Black Canadian to be a Member of Parliament (Canada), member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada, House o ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

) and was the first Asian Canadian as well as the first

lieutenant governor.

Honours

*In 1988, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St. John (KStJ) and Vice-Prior of the Order from 1988 to 1995. *In 1988, he was made a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

and was promoted to Officer in 1995. *In 1994, he was made a Commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

(CVO) by the Queen in 1994. *In 1995, he was awarded the

Order of British Columbia The Order of British Columbia is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Instituted in 1989 by Lieutenant Governor David Lam, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier Bill Vander Zalm, the order is administe ...

. *In 1995, David Lam Park in Vancouver, BC was named after him.

Death

Lam died on November 22, 2010, from

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

at the age of 87. He was predeceased by his wife of 43 years, Dorothy, who died in 1997, and survived by three children and seven grandchildren.

Arms

References

External links

Order of Canada Citation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lam, David 1923 births 2010 deaths 20th-century Baptists 20th-century Canadian philanthropists Alumni of Lingnan University (Hong Kong) Businesspeople from Vancouver Canadian Baptists Canadian Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Canadian investors Canadian businesspeople in real estate Deaths from prostate cancer in Canada Hong Kong emigrants to Canada Lieutenant governors of British Columbia Members of the Order of British Columbia Naturalized citizens of Canada Officers of the Order of Canada Reform Club of Hong Kong politicians Temple University alumni