Sir Henry Edward Pollock, QC, JP (, 16 December 1864 – 2 February 1953) was an English

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

who became a prominent politician in Hong Kong. He acted as

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

in Hong Kong on several occasions, and was once appointed to the same post in

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

. He also served as

Senior Unofficial Member The Senior Unofficial Member, later Senior Member and, finally, Convenor of the Non-official Members, was the highest-ranking unofficial member of the Legislative Council (LegCo) and Executive Council (ExCo) of British Hong Kong, which was t ...

of both the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

and Executive Council for many years in pre-

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

Hong Kong. Along with Sir Paul Chater, then Governor Sir Frederick Lugard (later Lord Lugard) and others, Sir Henry was one of the founders of the

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is a public research university in Pokfulam, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese by the London Missionary Society and formally established as the University of ...

Biography

Family background

Pollock was born to a well-known family in the law. His grandfather,

Sir Frederick Pollock, 1st Baronet Sir Jonathan Frederick Pollock, 1st Baronet, PC (23 September 1783 – 28 August 1870) was a British lawyer and Tory politician. Background and education Pollock was the son of saddler to HM King George III David Pollock, of Charing Cross, ...

served as

Attorney General for England and Wales His Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales is the chief legal adviser to the sovereign and Government in affairs pertaining to England and Wales as well as the highest ranking amongst the law officers of the Crown. The attorney gener ...

between 1834 and 1835 and 1841 and 1844 in the

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

administrations of

Sir Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850), was a British Conservative statesman who twice was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835, 1841–1846), and simultaneously was Chancellor of the Exchequer (1834–183 ...

; one of his many cousins,

Sir Frederick Pollock, 3rd Baronet Sir Frederick Pollock, 3rd Baronet PC, FBA (10 December 1845 – 18 January 1937) was an English jurist best known for his ''History of English Law before the Time of Edward I'', written with F.W. Maitland, and his lifelong correspondence ...

was a renowned professor of

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

in the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

; another cousin of Pollock,

Ernest Pollock, 1st Viscount Hanworth Ernest Murray Pollock, 1st Viscount Hanworth (25 November 1861 – 22 October 1936), was a British Conservative politician, lawyer and judge. He served as Master of the Rolls from 1923 to 1935. Background Pollock was born in Wimbledon, London, ...

, served as the

Master of the Rolls The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Court of Appeal (England and Wales)#Civil Division, Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales ...

from 1925 to 1935. Pollock's father was Dr. Arthur Julius Pollock (7 February 1835 – 11 May 1890). He was the eldest son in the second marriage of Sir Frederick Pollock, though he ranked thirteenth among the twenty-four children that Sir Frederick had. Dr. Pollock was a physician and lecturer in the

Foundling Hospital The Foundling Hospital (formally the Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children) was a children's home in London, England, founded in 1739 by the philanthropy, philanthropic Captain (nautical), sea captain ...

and

Charing Cross Hospital Charing Cross Hospital is district general hospital and teaching hospital located in Hammersmith in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The present hospital was opened in 1973, although it was originally established in 1818, approxim ...

. He was also a Council member of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...

. Pollock was the third child of his mother, Ellen Bailey (? – 25 October 1895). He had an elder sister, Caroline (4 August 1862 – ?), an elder brother, Arthur Julius (21 August 1863 – 28 May 1914), and a younger brother, Charles Frederick (17 July 1866 – 17 July 1919).

Early years

Pollock was born in London, England on 16 December 1864. He spent his early childhood in London and was later admitted to the

Charterhouse School Charterhouse is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Godalming, Surrey, England. Founded by Thomas Sutton in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian monastery in Charter ...

. He quit the school in 1882 at the age of 18, and was promptly employed by a bank in

Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the boundary between the Covent Garden and Holborn areas of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of London Borough of Camden, Camden and the southern part in the City o ...

. After one year of working, Pollock earned 50 pounds in total, and opted for continuing his study. He was successfully enrolled by the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1883 and was called to the bar upon graduation in 1887. In April 1888, seeking for new opportunities elsewhere, Pollock left his family and departed England for the then

Crown Colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by Kingdom of England, England, and then Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English overseas possessions, English and later British Empire. There was usua ...

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 ...

. He was soon qualified as a

in Hong Kong, and set up his career in the

legal profession Legal profession is a profession in which legal professionals study, develop and apply law. Usually, there is a requirement for someone choosing a career in law to first pass a bar examination after obtaining a law degree or some other form of l ...

Colonial life

Pollock was substantially valued by the local society not long after his arrival to the colony. For six months from September 1888 to March 1889, he had been appointed by the government as acting

Police Magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a ''Roman magistrate, magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and pos ...

. In 1891, he was appointed unofficial Justice of Peace, and later in 1892, he had served as acting

Puisne Judge Puisne judge and puisne justice () are terms for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. The term comes from a combination of the two French words, (since, later) and (born) which have been combined as or ; meaning ...

for the government for half a year. In 1894, Hong Kong was suffered from a severe plague which caused thousands of deaths. Pollock was noted for his work on relief during the plague and was awarded a gold medal by the government afterwards. From 1896 to 1901, Pollock was appointed by the government as acting

, and thus became an ''ex officio'' member of both the

and Executive Council. During his tenure as both an Attorney General and a councillor, his performance was highly regarded by his colleagues, and he was appointed

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

as a reward in 1900. In 1902, Pollock was posted to

and served as

in there. Nevertheless, he did not stay long in Fiji and returned to Hong Kong a year later. A year in Fiji did not weaken his influence in Hong Kong: he went on to serve as a member of the

Sanitary Board The Urban Council (UrbCo) was a municipal council in Hong Kong responsible for municipal services on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon (including New Kowloon). These services were provided by the council's executive arm, the Urban Services ...

from March 1903 to February 1906.

Life as councillor

In 1903, under the promotion of the

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

, Pollock had briefly served as acting

Unofficial Member Unofficial Member is the name given to individuals who are members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and Legislative Council of Hong Kong but who are not members of the Hong Kong Government. The terms "Unofficial" (or "non-official") and ...

of the Legislative Council for around a year. Soon afterwards, he was again nominated by the unofficial Justices of Peace and became a full unofficial member of the council in December 1905. For nearly forty years, Pollock would continuously represent the unofficial Justices of Peace constituency in the council. In his long tenure in the Legislative Council, Pollock was active in public service and served in a number of committees as member or chairman, including the Peace Celebration and War Memorial Finance Committee, Housing Commission and the Standing Law Committee. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Pollock also sat as a Judge in the Appeal Tribunal; he was later reappointed for the same post on the outbreak of the

Second World War 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 ...

in 1939. As early as 1911 and 1912, Pollock was provisionally appointed twice as unofficial member of the Executive Council. However, he lost the chance to be appointed a full unofficial member in November 1915 when he unsuccessfully pressured the then governor, Sir Henry May in a Legislative Council meeting for replacing a vacancy for an unofficial member in the Executive Council through limited election. Pollock was one of the most prominent activists on

constitutional reform A constitutional amendment (or constitutional alteration) is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly alt ...

in pre-war Hong Kong. He did not give up after his request was abruptly turned down by Sir Henry. In January 1916, he sent a petition compiled with a few hundreds signatures to the

Secretary of State for the Colonies The secretary of state for the colonies or colonial secretary was the Cabinet of the United Kingdom's government minister, minister in charge of managing certain parts of the British Empire. The colonial secretary never had responsibility for t ...

Bonar Law Andrew Bonar Law (; 16 September 1858 – 30 October 1923) was a British statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1922 to May 1923. Law was born in the British colony of New Brunswick (now a Canadi ...

, and called for reform in both the Legislative and Executive Council. According to his proposal, he suggested that more unofficial seats should be created on the two councils. These new seats should be elected by members of the Chamber of Commerce and the unofficial Justices of Peace to let them be more fully represented. Also, Pollock supported the appointment of more Chinese to the two councils. Pollock's proposal was also rejected by Bonar Law with no reason given. The relationship between Pollock and Sir Henry, was so badly damaged that Pollock was never again chosen to sit on the Executive Council during the governorship of Sir Henry. Pollock only became an unofficial member of the Executive Council after the retirement of Sir Henry, when his successor, Sir Reginald Stubbs, appointed him in 1921. Three years later, Pollock was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

in the

King's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning monarch's official birthday in each realm by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are ...

in 1924. Pollock was appointed acting Attorney-General for three times in 1919, 1925 and 1928 respectively. In his capacity as acting Attorney-General, he sat in the two councils as ''ex officio'' member rather than unofficial member, and his unofficial seats in the Legislative Council was provisionally elected by his fellow Justices of Peace. In 1917, he succeeded Sir Boshan Wei Yuk as Senior Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council; later in 1926, he also became Senior Unofficial Member of the Executive Council after the death Sir Paul Chater, and therefore became the Senior Member of both two councils. Nevertheless, on 16 September 1928, Pollock had an accidental fall in his home at No. 367, the Peak. He broke his

thigh In anatomy, the thigh is the area between the hip (pelvis) and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb. The single bone in the thigh is called the femur. This bone is very thick and strong (due to the high proportion of bone tissu ...

heavily and could not assume his duties in the councils. As a result, another member of the Legislative and the Executive Council, Sir Shouson Chow, temporarily replaced him as Senior Member during his incapacity. Pollock recovered from the fall in December and reassumed his duties again. The University of Hong Kong in 1912

Besides his duties in the two councils, Pollock had served as chairman of the Hong Kong Branch of the Navy League, the Chess Club, the

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals A Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is a common name for non-profit animal welfare organizations around the world. The oldest SPCA organization is the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which was founded ...

and the Constitutional Reform Association. He had also served as Commodore of the

Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club is a Hong Kong watersports club for sailing and rowing including paddling. History In 1849 the ''Victoria Regatta Club'' was formed and later absorbed into the ''Hong Kong Boating Clu''b which, in 1889, was in ...

, Secretary of the Odd Volumes Society and corresponding secretary to the

Royal Colonial Institute The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) is a non-governmental organisation with a mission to promote the value of the Commonwealth and the values upon which it is based. The Society upholds the values of the Commonwealth Charter, promoting confl ...

. Pollock was instrumental to the establishment of the

as he was one of the founders of the University. Pollock was originally a member of the council of the

Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese The University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine (branded as HKUMed) is the medical school of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), a public research university. It was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, ...

. In March 1908, along with Sir Paul Chater, Sir Kai Ho-Kai and a few other people, Pollock was appointed to the newly founded organising committee of the University of Hong Kong which was chaired by Sir Paul Chater by then governor Sir Frederick Lugard (later Lord Lugard). When the University of Hong Kong was officially founded in 1911, Pollock was appointed a life member of the University Court. Pollock was said to be an active member who frequently attend the Court's meetings, and was noted for his enthusiasm towards the development of the University. In acknowledging his contribution, he received Honorary Doctorates of Law from the University on 5 January 1925. Sir Henry Edward Pollock

Pollock had close ties with St. Stephen's College as he was one of the guests invited to the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the College's new school site in

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

in 1928. Furthermore, in 1933, under the assistance from him and

Sir Robert Kotewall Sir Robert Hormus Kotewall (; 1880–1949) was a British Hong Kong businessman, civil servant and legislator. Early life Kotewall was born in 1880. He was the son of Hormusjee Rustomjee Kotewall, an Indian Parsi, and Cheung A-cheung. He obta ...

, the student-actors and student-actresses of the College were allowed to play on the same stage in a fundraising drama event regardless the opposition from the conservative Chinese community.

Final years

On 17 January 1940 and in the beginning of 1941, Pollock was appointed unofficial member of the Legislative and the Executive Council respectively for a further period of four years and five years. However, in December 1941, the

broke out suddenly and Hong Kong fell into

Imperial Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

's hands after a month of resistance. Fortunately, Pollock and his wife were in Australia for health reason at the outbreak of the war, thus they were not in Hong Kong during the Japanese invasion and did not end up in Hong Kong as

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

. Although the colonial Legislative Council and Executive Council ceased to operate during the

Japanese occupation of Hong Kong The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began when the governor of Hong Kong, Mark Aitchison Young, surrendered the British Crown colony of British Hong Kong, Hong Kong to the Empire of Japan on 25 December 1941. His surrender occurred after Batt ...

, Pollock was still nominally the Senior Member of the Legislative and Executive Council until the expiration of his terms in 1944 and on 8 March 1946. Pollock's final term as Senior Unofficial Member of the Executive Council traversed the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong and ended after the Liberation of Hong Kong in 1945, but in reality, he never attended any meeting of the two councils after the fall of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Government later issued a notice in the '' Hong Kong Gazette'' in May 1946, thanking Pollock for his contribution to the colony. The

made a sudden ending to Pollock's life and public service in Hong Kong. Although he paid several visits to Hong Kong after the war, he and his wife settled permanently in Sydney after the outbreak of the Pacific War. Pollock died in Sydney on 2 February 1953, aged 88.

Family

Pollock married his wife, Pauline Oakley in Hong Kong in 1906 when he was 42. They had no children. Lady Oakley was a long-time resident in Hong Kong and was noted for her active participation in local public services, especially in the Street Sleepers' Society, St John's Cathedral Women's Guild and the

. Since the outbreak of the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

in 1937, the

refugee camp A refugee camp is a temporary Human settlement, settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for in ...

s in Hong Kong had also become a chief interest to Lady Pollock. In 1940, Lady Pollock,

Soong Ai-ling Soong Ai-ling (; July 15, 1889 – October 20, 1973), legally Soong E-ling or Eling Soong, Christian name Nancy, was a Chinese businesswoman, the eldest of the Soong sisters and the wife of H. H. Kung (Kung Hsiang-Hsi), who was the richest man ...

and others initiated a campaign in Hong Kong and

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative divisions * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and entertainment * Canton (band), an It ...

to set up

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomy, autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned a ...

s which could accommodate 6,000 refugees to restore production. Lady Pollock was subsequently appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the

New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

of 1941 for her eminent contribution.

Bibliography

* ''Bill of Lading Exceptions'', London: Stevens and Sons, 1894. * ''Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea''

Honours

* J.P. (24 April 189

* Gold Medal for Plague Services (1894) * Queen's Counsel, Q.C. (1900) * Kt. (King's birthday honour list 1924)

Honorary degrees

(Hon. LLD, 5 January 1925)

Place named after him

* Pollock Path: a

cul-de-sac A dead end, also known as a ''cul-de-sac'' (; , ), a no-through road or a no-exit road, is a street with only one combined inlet and outlet. Dead ends are added to roads in urban planning designs to limit traffic in residential areas. Some d ...

on the top of

Mount Gough Mount Gough () is a peak on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It lies directly east of Victoria Peak and rises to a height of above Admiralty. It is named for Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough, Commander-in-Chief of British Forces in China. The summit ...

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island () is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. The island, known originally and on road signs simply as "Hong Kong", had a population of 1,289,500 and a population density of , . It is the second largest island in Hong Kon ...

Footnotes

References

English materials

* ''Who Was Who'', London: A & C Black, 1996. * Sir Frederick Pollock,
The Will of Sir Jonathan Frederick Pollock
', proved on 7 November 1870. *
OBITUARY
, ''THE BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL'', 17 May 1890. *
Hong Kong Government Gazette
', Hong Kong: Government Printer, 1940 – 1941. * Great Britain Colonial Office,
Corona: The Journal of His Majesty's Colonial Service
' version 5, London: Secretary of State for the Colonies by H. M. Stationery Office, 1953. * Lai-bing Kan and Grace H. L. Chu,
Constancy of Purpose
', Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1988. * , 8 December 2001. * "Honour for Mr. Pollock", ''The China Mail'', Page 1, 3 June 1924. * "Sir H. E. Pollock, K.C., Honour for Long and Faithful Service", ''The China Mail'', Page 5, 3 June 1924. * "Degree Congregation. Honours Bestowed by Hong Kong University", ''The China Mail'', Page 7, 6 January 1925. * "The Hon. Sir Henry Pollock, Fractures Limb as Result of Fall", ''HONGKONG TELEGRAPH'', Page 1, 18 September 1941. * "Eight Residents in Honours List", ''HONGKONG TELEGRAPH'', Page 8, 2 January 1941. * Endacott, G. B., ''Government and people in Hong Kong, 1841–1962: A Constitutional History'', Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1964. * Oliver Lindsay, ''The Battle for Hong Kong 1941–1945: Hostage to Fortune'', Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2005.

Chinese materials

* 張蓮興, ''香港二十八總督'', 朝華出版社, 1997. * "普樂夫人等發起香港工合單位", ''大公報'', page 2, part 6, 13 April 1940. * "孔祥熙夫人普樂夫人等發起香港工合單位", ''香港華字日報'', page 3, part 2, 13 April 1940. * "非官議員普樂離職", ''大公報'', page 2, part 6, 22 September 1940. * "普樂返港", ''大公報'', page 2, part 6, 28 November 1940. * "港府昨正式發表行政局議員名單", ''工商日報'', page 4, 8 May 1946.

External links

Constancy of Purpose
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollock, Henry 1864 births 1953 deaths Attorneys general of Hong Kong Barristers of Hong Kong Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong Members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong Members of the Sanitary Board of Hong Kong Knights Bachelor Members of the Inner Temple People educated at Charterhouse School Politicians from London Lawyers from London Attorneys general of the Colony of Fiji Attorneys-general of Fiji 19th-century King's Counsel 20th-century King's Counsel British expatriates in British Hong Kong