John Johnstone Paterson
Unofficial Member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong
In office
6 April 1936 – 25 December 1941
Appointed bySir Andrew Caldecott
Preceded byWilliam Shenton
Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
In office
17 April 1930 – 25 December 1941
Appointed byThomas Southorn
Sir William Peel
Sir Geoffry Northcote
Preceded byB. D. F. Beith
Chairman of the Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation
In office
February 1932 – February 1933
Preceded byC. Gordon Mackie
Succeeded byThomas Ernest Pearce
In office
February 1936 – February 1937
Preceded byStanley Hudson Dodwell
Succeeded byC. Miskin
In office
February 1941 – February 1942
Preceded byH. V. Wilkinson
Succeeded byArthur Morse
Personal details
Born(1886-10-29)29 October 1886
Dumfries, Scotland
Died29 January 1971(1971-01-29) (aged 84)
Nanyuki, Kenya
OccupationBusinessman

John Johnstone Paterson (29 October 1886 - 29 January 1971) was a tai-pan of Jardine Matheson & Co. and a member of the Executive Council and Legislative Council of Hong Kong.

Biography

The eldest son of William Paterson, a former partner at Jardine Matheson & Co. in the 1870s and 1880s, J. J. Paterson followed in his father's footsteps, becoming managing director of the firm in the 1930s.[1] He also served as chairman of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation on three occasions between 1932 and 1941.[2][3]

Paterson was first appointed to the Legislative Council in April 1930 as a stand-in for B. D. F. Beith.[4] Subsequently, he was re-appointed to two four-year-terms in 1934 and 1938.[5][6][7] In April 1936, Paterson succeeded William Edward Leonard Shenton as a member of the Executive Council.[8]

During his time in Hong Kong, Paterson served on a number of public bodies, including the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps Advisory Committee,[9] the Hong Kong Naval Volunteer Advisory Committee,[10] the Authorized Architects' Committee,[11] the Housing Commission[12] and the Taxation Committee.[1]

During the Battle of Hong Kong, he commandeered the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps' Special Guard Company known as the Hugheseliers, after its founder A.W. Hughes. Many of the recruits were older British men who had fought in World War I and the Boer War.[13] The company was tasked with defending the North Point Power Station and was one of the few to survive the Japanese attack.[14][15] Paterson became a prisoner of war during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong and was detained at Shamshuipo Camp and Argyle Street Camp.

After the war, J.J. Paterson settled in Nairobi, Kenya, where he died in 1971.[16]

References

  1. ^ a b Taxation Committee Report. Hong Kong: Noronha & Co., Ltd.
  2. ^ "Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation: One hundred and Sixteenth Report of the Board of Directors". 27 February 1932: 311. ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ "Military History: Major John Johnstone ("JJ") Paterson". 16 April 2018.
  4. ^ The Hongkong Government Gazette. No. 248. 24 April 1930. ((cite news)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ^ "Hon. J. J. Paterson Unofficial M. L. C.". The China Mail. 7 July 1934. p. 15.
  6. ^ The Hongkong Government Gazette. No. 235. 20 April 1934. ((cite news)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ^ The Hongkong Government Gazette. No. 224. 17 March 1938. ((cite news)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ^ The Hongkong Government Gazette. No. 645. 31 July 1936. ((cite news)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ^ The Hongkong Government Gazette. No. 108. 20 February 1931. ((cite news)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ The Hongkong Government Gazette. No. 442. 24 June 1937. ((cite news)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ^ The Hongkong Government Gazette. No. 409. 3 July 1931. ((cite news)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ^ The Hongkong Government Gazette. No. 483. 28 May 1936. ((cite news)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. ^ "Military History: Major John Johnstone ("JJ") Paterson". 16 April 2018.
  14. ^ "Military History: Major John Johnstone ("JJ") Paterson". 16 April 2018.
  15. ^ Morris, Jan (2007). Hong Kong: Epilogue to an Empire. Penguin. p. 247.
  16. ^ "Military History: Major John Johnstone ("JJ") Paterson". 16 April 2018.
Legislative Council of Hong Kong Preceded byB. D. F. Beith Unofficial Member 1930–1941 Japanese occupation of Hong Kong Business positions Preceded byC. Gordon Mackie Chairman of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation 1932–1933 Succeeded byThomas Ernest Pearce Preceded byS. H. Dodwell Chairman of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation 1936–1937 Succeeded byC. Miskin Preceded byH. V. Wilkinson Chairman of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation 1941–1942 Succeeded byArthur Morse Political offices Preceded byW. E. L. Shenton Unofficial Member for the Executive Council of Hong Kong 1936–1941 Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
Categories