Sir Catchick Paul Chater (; ; 8 September 1846 – 27 May 1926) was a prominent British businessman of

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

descent in

colonial Hong Kong Hong Kong was under British rule from 1841 to 1997, except for a brief period of Japanese occupation during World War II from 1941 to 1945. It was a crown colony of the United Kingdom from 1841 to 1981, and a dependent territory from 1981 to ...

, whose family roots were in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

, India.

Biography

Early life

Chater was born Khachik Pogose Astwachatoorean () in

, British India, one of thirteen offspring of

parents, Miriam and Chater Paul Chater. His father was a member of the

Indian civil service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British Raj, British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 3 ...

. Chater was orphaned at the age of seven, and he gained entry into the La Martiniere College in Calcutta on a scholarship. In 1864, he moved to Hong Kong from Calcutta and lived with the family of his sister Anna and her husband, the Armenian-born Jordan Paul Jordan (1820–1875).

Career

In the early days in Hong Kong, he was an assistant at the Bank of Hindustan, China and Japan. Later, with the aid of the

Sassoon family The Sassoon family were a wealthy Baghdadi Jews, Baghdadi Jews, Jewish family dynasty, associated with finance, banking, capital markets, the exploration of oil and gas, Judaism, British Conservative Party, Conservative politics, opium trade wit ...

, he set up business as an exchange broker, resigned from the bank, and traded gold bullion and land on his own account. He took sea-bed soundings at night in a

sampan A sampan is a relatively flat-bottomed wooden boat found in East, Southeast, and South Asia. It is possibly of Chinese or Austronesian origin. Some sampans include a small shelter on board and may be used as a permanent habitation on in ...

and was thus instrumental in plotting the reclamation of

Victoria Harbour Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbor, harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. It acts as both a major trading hub and tourist attraction of Hong Kong in general. Lying in ...

. He is credited with a pivotal role in the colonial government's success in acquiring lands then held by the military, at a cost of two million pounds sterling. In 1868, he and Sir

Hormusjee Naorojee Mody Sir Hormusjee Naorojee Mody (12 October 1838 – 16 June 1911) was an Indian Parsi businessman in Hong Kong. He lived in Hong Kong for 50 years, during which he worked for the colony and founded the University of Hong Kong. Biography He was b ...

formed brokerage company Chater & Mody, a largely successful business partnership in Hong Kong, although the firm's Hong Kong Milling Company (aka Rennie's Mill) failed in 1908 and resulted in the suicide of

Albert Rennie Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert Computers, Inc., a computer manufacturer in the 1980s * Albert Czech Republic, a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street mar ...

. In 1886, he helped

Patrick Manson Sir Patrick Manson (3 October 1844 – 9 April 1922) was a Scottish physician who made important discoveries in parasitology, and was a founder of the field of tropical medicine. He graduated from the University of Aberdeen with degrees in Ma ...

establish

Dairy Farm Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...

, and he entered 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 ...

that same year, taking the place of F.D. Sassoon. Also in 1886 Chater established Kowloon Wharf and Godown, predecessor of

The Wharf (Holdings) The Wharf (Holdings) Limited (), or Wharf (九倉) in short, is a company founded in 1886 in Hong Kong. As its name suggests, the company's original business was in running wharfage and dockside warehousing, and it was originally known as Th ...

. In 1889, he established

Hongkong Land Hongkong Land (HKL) is a property investment, management and development group with commercial and residential property interests across Asia. It owns and manages some 850,000 sq. m. of office and retail property in Asia, principally in Hong K ...

with

James Johnstone Keswick James Johnstone Keswick (1845–1914) was a Scottish businessman in China and Hong Kong. He was the taipan of the Jardine Matheson & Co. Biography He was the son of the Thomas Keswick, and younger brother of William Keswick, who was the founder ...

. Hong Kong Land commenced the

land reclamation Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lake ...

project under the

Praya Reclamation Scheme The Praya Reclamation Scheme () was a large scale land reclamation in Hong Kong, land reclamation project carried out by the Hong Kong Land company in 19th Century Hong Kong under Catchick Paul Chater, Sir Catchick Paul Chater and Keswick family#Ja ...

in 1890. Persuaded by the suggestion of temporary councillor

Bendyshe Layton Bendyshe Layton (died 17 January 1918) was a British businessman and member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, colloquially known as LegCo, is the Unicameralism, ...

that Hong Kong should have electricity, they secretly acquired an old graveyard in Wan Chai, where they built one of the earliest power stations in the world. In 1890, the

Hongkong Electric Company The Hongkong Electric Company (HEC; ) is one of Hong Kong's two main electricity generation companies, the other being China Light & Power. The company is owned by several companies including Power Assets Holdings, State Grid Corporation of Ch ...

went into production. Chater was enthusiastic in two sports: He played for the

Hong Kong Cricket Club The Hong Kong Cricket Club (HKCC) () is the oldest cricket club in East Asia. Founded in June 1851 to promote the game of cricket, tennis, croquet and other athletic sports and pastimes, the Club was originally situated at Chater Garden in Centra ...

1st XI, and was a

thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and Horse industry, industry involving the Horse racing, racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter know ...

enthusiast. He reportedly never missed the weekly races at the

Happy Valley Racecourse The Happy Valley Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing and is a tourist attraction in Hong Kong. It is located in Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island, surrounded by Wong Nai Chung Road and Morrison Hill Road. The capacit ...

in 60 years. He set up the Chater Stable in Hong Kong in 1872 that won many races at Happy Valley. The

Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup is a Hong Kong Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late May or early June at Sha Tin Racecourse. A Group One race that offers a purse of HK$12,000,000, it is run on turf over a distance of 2400 meters (prior ...

, the

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

third leg of the Hong Kong Triple Crown, is named in his honour. In 1896, Chater joined government ranks when he was appointed to the Executive Council, and served there until 1926, the year of his death. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in the

1902 Coronation Honours The 1902 Coronation Honours were announced on 26 June 1902, the date originally set for the coronation of King Edward VII. The coronation was postponed because the King had been taken ill two days before, but he ordered that the honours list shou ...

, receiving the accolade in person from King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

on 24 October that year. In 1901, Chater constructed a very fine home with imported European marble at 1, Conduit Road, Hong Kong which he named '

Marble Hall Marble Hall is a town in the south of the Limpopo province of South Africa. It was formerly in Mpumalanga province. Marble Hall is a village 26 km north-west of Groblersdal and 96 km south-south-east of Mokopane on the N11 National R ...

'. Therein, he housed his collection of fine porcelain. To commemorate the

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

of King

in 1902, Chater presented a statue in bronze of the King to Hong Kong, executed by

George Edward Wade George Edward Wade (1853, London – 5 February 1933) was a British sculptor. He was largely self-taught as an artist and is best remembered for his statues of royalty and politicians. He was baptised on 17 April 1853 at Westminster, London, En ...

and unveiled at

Statue Square Statue Square ( zh, t=皇后像廣場; lit. "Empress' Statue Square") is a public pedestrian square in Central, Hong Kong. Built entirely on reclaimed land at the end of the 19th century, Statue Square consists of two parts separated by ...

in 1907. In 1904, Chater single-handedly financed the construction of St. Andrew's Church. Some titles and positions held by Chater: * Master of the Perseverance Lodge, 1873 * Steward at the

Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) was founded in 1884 and is one of the oldest institutions in Hong Kong. In 1960, it was granted a royal charter and renamed The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club (). The institution reverted to its original name in 19 ...

* Chairman of the Board of Stewards of the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, 1892–1926 * Senior Justice of the Peace in Hong Kong * District Grand Master of Hong Kong and South China, 1881–1909 * Director of

Co. Ltd., 1886 *

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

for

Siam Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

in Hong Kong * Treasurer and Chairman of the Queen Victoria Jubilee Committee, 1887 * Member of the ''

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

'' by the French Government at

Tonkin Tonkin, also spelled Tongkin, Tonquin or Tongking, is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain '' Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, including both the ...

, 1892 * Member of the Public Lighting Committee, 1896 * Member of the Governor's Executive Council, 1896 * Chairman of the Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Committee, 1897 * Companion of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

, 1897 * Honorary degree of

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

by 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 ...

for services as the Honorary Treasurer, 1923

Philanthropy

In May 1923, Chater, then treasurer of the University of Hong Kong, made a donation of $250,000 to the university at a time critical to its survival. In 1924/25, Chater made the single biggest donation to any institution or organisation whilst still alive, donating 1.1 million Rupees to his alma mater, the desperately struggling La Martiniere College, thus allowing it to avoid certain closure. To honour his contribution to the school, Sir Paul Chater's name was included in the school prayer.

Legacy

Chater died in 1926, and bequeathed Marble Hall and its entire contents, including his unique collection of porcelain and paintings, to Hong Kong. The remainder of his estate went to the

Armenian Church of the Holy Nazareth The Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth () is an 18th-century Armenian Apostolic church at Kolkata (Calcutta), India, serving as the centre of the Armenian Community of Calcutta and the seat of the Armenian Vicariate of India and the Far East. It ...

in Calcutta, which runs a home for Armenian elderly, named The Sir Catchick Paul Chater Home. He was interred at the

Hong Kong Cemetery Hong Kong Cemetery, formerly Hong Kong (Happy Valley) Cemetery and before that Hong Kong Colonial Cemetery, is one of the early Christian cemeteries in Hong Kong dating to its colonial era beginning in 1845. It is located beside the racecour ...

. Chater's wife lived in Marble Hall as a life tenant until her death in 1935. Ownership then passed to the government. It became "Admiralty House" – the official residence of the Naval Commander-in-Chief, and was commandeered by Japanese during their occupation. It accidentally burned down in 1946, and the government buildings occupied the site since its demolition in 1953. Government residences named 'Chater Hall Flats' are today located on the site of Marble Hall. Chater amassed a large collection of historical pictures and engravings relating to China which he gifted to the colony. The ''Chater Collection'' was subject to a work by its curator, James Orange, in 1924, at which time the collection stood at 430 items. Its backbone was the collection of Wyndham Law of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, and included oil paintings, watercolours, sketches, prints and photographs, most of which are based on landscape scenes of the South China trading ports in the 18th and 19th centuries, and of British activities in China. The ''Chater Collection'' was dispersed and largely destroyed during the Japanese occupation, and only 94 pieces (now an important part of the collection of the

Hong Kong Museum of Art The Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) is the first and one of the main art museums of Hong Kong, located in located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, near the Victoria Harbour waterfront, providing a scenic view of Hong Kong’s skyline. It is a publ ...

) are known to have survived. Chater's nephew (Anna's son) Gregory Paul Jordan was instrumental in developing medical services and education in Hong Kong and in the founding of the

. He was its second vice-chancellor. On the occasion of the 171st anniversary of Paul Chater's birth, a bust of Paul Chater was unveiled at the La Martiniere Boys School, Kolkata. *

Chater Garden Chater Garden, located in the Central District of Hong Kong, is a public park directly east of the Legislative Council building. It is named after Sir Paul Chater, as is the adjacent Chater Road. History In the early days of British r ...

Chater House , image = Chater House 2008.jpg , image_size = 200px , caption = Chater House viewed from Connaught Road Central , completion_date = , location = 7-9 Connaught Road Central, 10-12 Chater Road, Cent ...

Chater Road Chater Road (Traditional Chinese characters, Chinese: 遮打道) is a three-lane road in Central, Hong Kong, Central, Hong Kong named after Paul Chater, Sir Paul Chater. It begins at its intersection with Pedder Street and Des Voeux Road Centr ...

Catchick Street Catchick Street (Chinese: 吉席街) is a street in the Kennedy Town area of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It is the location of the Hong Kong Tramways' Kennedy Town Terminus. Adjacent to the street is Block 3 of The Merton, a private housing ...

Peking Road Peking Road (, Chinese: 北京道) is a road between Nathan Road and Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The road is mainly hotels and shopping area on the street level. Name The road was initially named Chater Road, after Paul ...

was named Chater Street until 1909, when it was renamed to avoid confusion with Chater Road.

References

External links

Article about Hormusjee Naorojee Mody with Chater & Mody

Catchick Paul Chater – ongoing family history research by distant relative Liz Chater

Documentary on Sir Paul Chater
Henrik Terchonian (2005) Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth, Kolkata * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chater, Catchick Paul 1846 births 1926 deaths People from British Hong Kong Hong Kong people of Armenian descent Indian people of Armenian descent Jardines (company) La Martiniere Calcutta alumni Members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Ethnic Armenian businesspeople British people of Armenian descent Knights Bachelor Emigrants from British India Hong Kong businesspeople