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Henry Hsu

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For the Taiwanese singer, see Henry Hsu (singer).

Henry Hsu
OBE MLY
徐亨
Hsu in 1969
President of the Republic of China Olympic Committee
In office
17 July 1973 – May 1974
Preceded byYang Sen
Succeeded byShen Chia-ming
Member of the Legislative Yuan
In office
1 February 1973 – 31 January 1987
ConstituencyOverseas Chinese District 2 (Hong Kong and Macau)
Personal details
Born(1912-12-06)6 December 1912
Hua County, Guangdong, Republic of China
Died3 February 2009(2009-02-03) (aged 96)
Beitou, Taipei, Taiwan
NationalityTaiwanese
Political partyKuomintang
Alma materWhampoa Military Academy
Military service
Allegiance Republic of China
Branch/service Republic of China Navy
Rank Rear admiral
Battles/warsBattle of Hong Kong

Henry Hsu OBE (Chinese: 徐亨; pinyin: Xú Hēng; 6 December 1912 – 3 February 2009) was a Taiwanese naval officer, athlete and politician.

Life and career

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Hsu was born in Hua County and had planned to follow his parents into the medical field, until his mother's death in a hotel fire when Hsu was eighteen.[1] Upon graduation from Whampoa Military Academy, Hsu pursued legal studies in Shanghai.[2] He represented the Republic of China at the 1930 and 1934 Far Eastern Championship Games, as a volleyball player and footballer, respectively.[3][4] Hsu also competed as a swimmer and water polo player.[4] During World War II, Hsu served in the Republic of China Navy. At the time of the Battle of Hong Kong, he was a Lieutenant-Commander and aide-de-camp to Admiral Chan Chak.[5] Hsu played a key role in saving Admiral Chan's life during a dramatic breakout in five small torpedo boats on Christmas Day 1941, which saved a total of sixty eight British, Chinese and Danish intelligence, naval and marine personnel from the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong; for this feat he was made an Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1942.[2][5] Hsu retired from duty with the rank of Rear Admiral.[6] He then owned hotels in Hong Kong, soon expanding operations to Taiwan when he moved there in 1982, and later to the United States in 1992.[2][7][8]

He was a member of the International Olympic Committee from 1970 to 1988, and led the Republic of China Olympic Committee from 1973 to 1974.[3] Hsu was first appointed to the Legislative Yuan in 1972 and served until 1987.[4][6] Upon stepping down from the legislature, he was named a national policy adviser to President Chiang Ching-kuo, and also served Chiang's successor Lee Teng-hui until 2000.[4] Alongside his position as an adviser, Hsu served a nearly concurrent term as president of the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China from 1988 to 2000.[6]

He died of heart failure at the age of 96 in 2009, while being treated for uremia and pneumonia at Taipei Veterans General Hospital.[3][6] His funeral was held on 16 March, with Ma Ying-jeou, Liu Chao-shiuan, Wang Jin-pyng, Wu Ching-kuo, and Chi Cheng in attendance.[9]

References

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  1. ^ Matthews, Joe (6 July 2006). "Hotel's owners dig in for labor fight". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 24 March 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2017. Alt URL
  2. ^ a b c Luard, Tim (20 May 2009). "Henry Hsu". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  3. ^ a b c "Local veteran dies aged 96". Taipei Times. 5 February 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d "Death of Henry Heng Hsu, IOC Honorary Member since 1988". International Olympic Committee. 3 February 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  5. ^ a b Lai, Benjamin (2014). Hong Kong 1941–45: First strike in the Pacific War. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781782002703.
  6. ^ a b c d "Ex-lawmaker, sports leader Henry Hsu dies at 96". China Post. 4 February 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  7. ^ Luard, Tim (2012). Escape from Hong Kong: Admiral Chan Chak's Christmas Day Dash, 1941. Hong Kong University Press. p. 256. ISBN 9789888083763.
  8. ^ "Taiwanese group buys L.A. Airport Hilton". United Press International. 4 May 1992. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  9. ^ "IOC veteran laid to rest". Taipei Times. 17 March 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
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