John Johnstone Paterson

John Johnstone Paterson
Unofficial Member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong
In office 6 April 1936 – 25 December 1941
Appointed by	Sir Andrew Caldecott
Preceded by	William Shenton
Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
In office 17 April 1930 – 25 December 1941
Appointed by	Thomas Southorn Sir William Peel Sir Geoffry Northcote
Preceded by	B. D. F. Beith
Chairman of the Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation
In office February 1932 – February 1933
Preceded by	C. Gordon Mackie
Succeeded by	Thomas Ernest Pearce
In office February 1936 – February 1937
Preceded by	Stanley Hudson Dodwell
Succeeded by	C. Miskin
In office February 1941 – February 1942
Preceded by	H. V. Wilkinson
Succeeded by	Arthur Morse
Personal details
Born	29 October 1886 Dumfries, Scotland
Died	29 January 1971 (aged 84) Nanyuki, Kenya
Occupation	Businessman

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

Biography

Son of William Paterson, the partner of the Jardine Matheson & Co., J. J. Paterson followed his father to work at the trading firm and became taipan and managing director of the Jardine Matheson & Co.^[1] He had also been the chairman of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.^[2]

He was first appointed to the Legislative Council in April 1930 in the place of B. D. F. Beith's absence.^[3] He was appointed again in March in succession to Beith^[4] and appointed for a four-year-term from 17 April in 1934 and was re-appointed in 1938.^[5][6][7] In April 1936, Paterson succeeded William Edward Leonard Shenton to be appointed member of the Executive Council.^[8]

He held public offices including member of 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 commanded the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps' Special Guard Company nicknamed the Hugheseliers and the Methuseliers consisting of group of older men to defend the North Point Power Station and was one of the few survivors in the defence.^[13] He became prisoner of war during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong and was sent into the Shamshuipo Camp and Argyle Street Camp.

References

1. 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.
3. "The Hongkong Government Gazette" (248). 24 April 1930.
4. "The Hongkong Government Gazette" (235). 29 March 1934.
5. "Hon. J. J. Paterson Unofficial M. L. C.". The China Mail. 7 July 1934. p. 15.
6. "The Hongkong Government Gazette" (235). 20 April 1934.
7. "The Hongkong Government Gazette" (224). 17 March 1938.
8. "The Hongkong Government Gazette" (645). 31 July 1936.
9. "The Hongkong Government Gazette" (108). 20 February 1931.
10. "The Hongkong Government Gazette" (442). 24 June 1937.
11. "The Hongkong Government Gazette" (409). 3 July 1931.
12. "The Hongkong Government Gazette" (483). 28 May 1936.
13. Morris, Jan (2007). Hong Kong: Epilogue to an Empire. Penguin. p. 247.