Ho Fook, alias Ho Chak-sang, Justice of the Peace was a Hong Kong prominent Eurasian compradore and philanthropist.
Background
He was born in 1863 in Hong Kong and studied at the Government Central School (later became the Queen"s College) in his younger ages. His son, Ho Leung, succeeded his father to became the chief compradore of the Jardine, Matheson & Company after his retirement.
Career
After graduating, he joined a Chinese shipping firm in Haiphong as a clerk and later worked as a translator at the Registrar-General"s department. He joined a legal firm called Denneys & Mossop in 1882 as an interpreter and worked at the firm for three years. He was appointed many public offices as the leader of the Chinese community.
He was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1892 and was appointed to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong in 1917 as one of the representatives of the Chinese community on retirement of Wei Yuk and served until 1921.
In 1926, he was appointed to the Board which advised the government upon the distribution of the Trade Loan. He was also the managing director of the local newspaper, Hongkong Telegraph.
With Lau Chu-pak, they founded the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in 1900. His donation to the University of Hong Kong also became the foundation of the School of Physiology.
He suffered from a relapse on 29 August 1926 and died in the afternoon.
Ho Fook"s father was a man of Dutch ancestry named Charles Henri Maurice Bosman (1839–1892) and his mother was Madame Sze, a Han Chinese woman of Bao"an (present-day Shenzhen) heritage. Ho Fook had thirteen sons and five of them survived when Ho Fook died. All of them were educated in England and three of whom worked as compradores for various foreign companies, Ho Leung was the chief compradore of the Jardine, Matheson & Company after his father, Ho Iu was the compradore of the Mercantile Bank of India, London and China, and Ho Ki was the compradore of East. Doctorate. Sassoon.
Ho Wing, another son of him who was adopted by Robert Hotung was also the compradore of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.
Ho Fook had also five daughters. One of Ho Fook"s grandsons, Stanley Ho is the casino and shipping magnate.
Ho Fook lived at Number. 10, Caine Road (now site of Caritas House and Catholic Diocese Centre).
Membership
He was also member of the District Watchmen"s Committee, member of the Chinese Permanent Cemetery Committee, the Chinese Public Dispensaries Committee, advisory committee of the Tung Wah Hospital and Po Leung Kuk, the two most prominent charitable organisations in the colony. He served as vice-president of the Ellis Kadoorie Chinese School Society and member of the Court of the University of Hong Kong. There were also Ho Kwong and South. C. Ho in which the latter was member of the Sanitary Board.