President of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong

The President of the Legislative Council is the speaker of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. In the absence of the President, the chairman of the House Committee serves as deputy to the President.

From the establishment of the council in 1843 to 1993, the President of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong was the Governor. In 1991, a Deputy President was appointed by the governor from among the members to chair the sittings. The governor remained president and member, but systematically absented himself from most of the sittings. In February 1993, the governor ceased to be member and president of the council. The presidency was handed over to a member elected from among the unofficial members.

List of presidents

=Colonial Period=

* Sir Henry Pottinger (1843-1844)
* Sir John Francis Davis (1844-1848)
* Sir George Bonham (1848-1854)
* Sir John Bowring (1854-1859)
* Lord Hercules George Robert Robinson (1859-1865)
* Sir Richard Graves Macdonell (1866-1872)
* Sir Arthur Edward Kennedy (1872-1877)
* Sir John Pope Hennessy (1877-1882)
* Sir George Ferguson Bowen (1883-1885)
* Sir George William Des Vœux (1887-1891)
* Sir William Robinson (1890-1898)
* Sir Henry Arthur Blake (1898-1903)
* Sir Matthew Nathan (1904-1904)
* Lord Frederick Lugard (1907-1912)
* Sir Francis Henry May (1912-1919)
* Sir Reginald Edward Stubbs (1919-1925)
* Sir Cecil Clementi (1925-1930)
* Sir William Peel (1930-1935)
* Sir Andrew Caldecott (1935-1937)
* Sir Geoffry Northcote (1937-1941)
* Sir Mark Aitchison Young (1941)

During Japanese Occupation

From 1941 to 1946, the office was suspended due to Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong

* Lieutenant-General Takashi Sakai and Lieutenant-General Masaichi Niimi - Head of Japanese Occupation Forces in Hong Kong 1941-1942

* General Isogai Rensuke - Imperial Japanese Administrator for Hong Kong February 20, 1942 to December 24, 1944
* General Hisaichi Tanaka - Imperial Japanese Administrator for Hong Kong 1945

=Colonial Period (continued) =

* Colonial Secretary Franklin Charles Gimson 1944 - acting
* Rear Admiral Sir Cecil Halliday Jepson Harcourt - Head of British Military Government 1944-1946

* Sir Mark Aitchison Young (1946-1947, Restoration)
* Sir Alexander Grantham (1947-1957)
* Sir Robert Brown Black (1958-1964)
* Sir David Clive Crosbie Trench (1964 - 1971)
* Lord MacLehose of Beoch (1971-1982)
* Sir Edward Youde (1982-1986)
* Lord Wilson of Tillyorn (1987-1992)
* Chris Patten (1992-1993)
* Sir John Joseph Swaine (1993-1995):First non-Governor President of LEGCO.
* Andrew Wong (1995-1997)

After transfer of the sovereignty to People's Republic of China

* Rita Fan - President of Provisional Legislative Council 1997-1998
* Rita Fan - President of LegCo 1998-2008
* Jasper Tsang - President of LegCo 2008 -

ee also

* Speaker of the House