Douglas Clague

The Honourable Sir John Douglas Clague CBE MC QPM CPM TD JP
Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
In office 1956–1960
Unofficial Member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong
In office 1961–1974
Personal details
Born	(1917-06-13)13 June 1917 South Rhodesia
Died	11 March 1981(1981-03-11) (aged 63) Berkshire, England

Sir John Douglas Clague (13 June 1917 – 11 March 1981) was a British Hong Kong soldier and entrepreneur who spent most of his life in Hong Kong.^[1]

Early years

Born in Southern Rhodesia, in 1917,^[2] Clague arrived in Hong Kong in 1940 as a lieutenant in the Royal Artillery, and on the outbreak of World War II became a prisoner in the Sham Shui Po PoW camp.^[3] He later escaped, and joined the British Army Aid Group in free China.^[1] On the ending of the war, he famously took the surrender of Japanese forces in Bangkok more or less single-handedly.^[4]

Business career

After the war, he became the tai-pan of the British Hong Kong hong Hutchison, better known as Hutchison Whampoa. He overstretched his finances, which resulted in HSBC taking over the firm, replacing Clague, and led to the sale of Hutchison Whampoa to Li Ka-Shing's Cheung Kong in 1979.^[5]

Clague was also one of the commandants of the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force, and a member of both the Executive and the Legislative Councils of Hong Kong, when he succeeded Cedric Blaker on 21 March 1958. From 1950 to 1951 he was President of the Gunners Roll of Hong Kong.^[6]

Clague owned a lodge at Kam Tsin in the northern New Territories alongside many other wealthy people.^[7]

He was also a racehorse owner and one time chairman of the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club; it was under his tenure that the Sha Tin Racecourse was developed. The Clague Garden Estate in Tsuen Wan is named for him,^[8] as he was also one of the longest serving chairmen of the Hong Kong Housing Society.

Personal

Clague was married to Lady Margaret Isolin Clague (née Cowley); they had three children (Jonathan, Penny and Isolin).^[9]

Sir John Douglas Clague died of cancer aged 64, in 1981.^[10] Lady Clague died in 2011.^[9]

References

1. "The dawn of the Golden Age (mainly about money...)". gwulo.com. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
2. "Hong Kong's ties with Zimbabwe: The past and the present EJINSIGHT - ejinsight.com". EJINSIGHT.
3. HONG KONG: Trouble in the Hongs, Time magazine, 20 October 1975
4. "China's Business Newspaper". The Standard. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
5. Stephen Vines, The Other Handover, Time Magazine, 6 August 2005.
6. "Documents". Gunners Roll. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
7. "Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force : Silver Jubilee 1959-1984" (PDF). Ebook.lib.hku.hk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
8. "Clague Garden Estate - Hong Kong Housing Society". hkhs.com.
9. "CLAGUE, Lady Margaret : Death notice". The Irish Times. 10 February 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
10. "John Douglas CLAGUE (aka Duggie) [1917-1981] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong". gwulo.com.

Business positions
Preceded by P. S. Cassidy	Chairman and Managing Director of John D. Hutchison & Co. 1952–1977	Succeeded by Himself as Chairman and Managing Director of Hutchison Whampoa
Preceded by Himself as Chairman of John D. Hutchison & Co.	Chairman of Hutchison Whampoa 1977–1979	Succeeded by Bill Wyllie
Preceded by Himself as Managing Director of John D. Hutchison & Co.	Managing Director of Hutchison Whampoa 1977–1979	Succeeded by Li Ka-shing
Sporting positions
Preceded by Sir John Saunders	Chairman of the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club 1972–1974	Succeeded by P. G. Williams