David Ford, the last British chief secretary in Hong Kong, dies aged 82
Ford was chief secretary in the city between 1986 and 1993
David Ford, the last Briton to lead Hong Kong’s civil service as chief secretary in the final years before the handover, died on Saturday night. He was 82.
Ford was chief secretary of Hong Kong between 1986 and 1993, the last in a line of more than a century of expatriate domination of the government hierarchy, before he was succeeded by Anson Chan Fang On-sang, who confirmed Ford’s death on Sunday night.
As a superior, Ford was deeply respected and loved by colleagues in the civil service
In a statement, she extended her condolences to Ford’s family and praised Ford for contributing greatly to the smooth transfer of power in 1997 and pushing for the construction of the Chek Lap Kok International Airport.
“As a superior, Ford was deeply respected and loved by colleagues in the civil service,” she said.
Born on February 22, 1935, David Robert Ford joined the British Army when he was 20 and went on to serve a 15-year military career, which saw him posted to 17 outposts across the empire.
Ford was seconded to the Hong Kong government in 1967, the year communist agents instigated a bloody riot that left 51 people dead. Rising through ranks to reach the top of the Information Services Department by 1974, he had direct experience in propaganda warfare with the communists in Hong Kong.
