Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch
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| Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch | |
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| In office 19 November 1971 – 20 May 1982 |
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| Preceded by | Sir David Clive Crosbie Trench |
| Succeeded by | Sir Edward Youde |
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| Born | October 16, 1917 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | May 27, 2000 (aged 82) Ayrshire, Scotland |
| Alma mater | Balliol College, Oxford |
| Profession | diplomat, colonial administrator |
Crawford Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch, KT, GBE, KCMG, KCVO, PC (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.
MacLehose was principal private secretary to Foreign Secretary George Brown in the late 1960s. He had left a copy of a confidential telegram concerning the Vietnam War from British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, to US President Lyndon B. Johnson at a bank in 1967. The document was turned in by another British diplomat who found it. Brown prevented an investigation of this security breach when he intervened by explaining the mitigating circumstances, thus saving his career.[1] MacLehose was appointed the British Ambassador to Vietnam in 1967.[1]
Before being appointed Governor of Hong Kong in 1971, he served at the British Embassy in Beijing and, subsequently, as the British Ambassador to 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. He was widely and affectionately known as "Jock the Sock", in reference both to his Scottish heritage and to his name.
MacLehose stood well over six feet tall and looked every inch the benign and genial colonial governor. However, he always took great pains to avoid wearing his gubernatorial uniform, as he felt very much ill at ease in it.
[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 defuse 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 honest police officers who had resisted the temptation to engage and benefit from 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.
[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 & recognition
- 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.
- 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 Rehabilitation 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 | ||
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| Preceded by Sir David Clive Crosbie Trench |
Governor of Hong Kong 1971 - 1982 |
Succeeded by Sir Edward Youde |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Peter Graff, Mislaid MacLehose cable reveals UK efforts to end Vietnam War, The Standard, November 02, 2007
[edit] External links
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