Jack Cater

Sir Jack Cater, KBE, JP (February 21, 1922 - April 14, 2006) was the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong from 1978 to 1981. Cater was the third Chief Secretary under the Governorship of Sir Murray MacLehose, later Lord MacLehose of Beoch. He is probably most noted for his rôle as the founding Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong.

Biography

Career

Cater began his career in Hong Kong in 1946 as a cadet officer in the Fisheries Department, and was made Director of Agriculture and Fisheries in 1964. He was appointed by then Governor David Trench to lead the team which restored peace and security following the riots in 1967. He served 2 years as Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, and went on to become Secretary for Security and Director of Government Information Services.

Cater was instrumental in establishing schools in all of Hong Kong's fishing villages.

In February 1974, he was delighted to accept appoint to the first Commissionership of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) by Murray MacLehose following the flight of Police Superintendent Peter Godber. His widow later revealed that Cater considered at one point leaving the government. She said:

People did not want to believe there was such rampant corruption in Hong Kong. He had tried very hard to persuade people that we had to do something about it, but nobody was prepared to listen.

Cater was widely respected and much liked in Hong Kong for the way in which he brought the fledgling ICAC to the point where it became strong enough to survive the attacks of vested interests, and of its many enemies both within and without the government. As a result of Cater's vital early direction, the ICAC was able to grow into a body which presided over the (almost total) eradication of corruption, both official (Governmental) and elsewhere, in Hong Kong.

Personal

Married to Peggy in 1950. The couple lived most of their life together in Hong Kong, until the late 1990s. They had 3 children, Susan, Jacqueline and Richard.

Sir Jack and Lady Cater returned to Britain, and settled on the British Channel Island of Guernsey in 2001. Cater suffered from Alzheimer's disease during the final, few years of his life. He died in Guernsey in April 14, 2006, aged 84.

A memorial was held for him in Hong Kong at the St. John's Cathedral on October 21, 2006, and was attended by many senior officials and prominent figures, inter alia Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang, Run Run Shaw, David Akers-Jones, former Secretary for Security Alistair Asprey, as well as Raymond Wong and Lily Yam, respectively the current Commissioner and a former Commissioner of the ICAC.

See also

• History of Hong Kong

References

• South China Morning Post, October 22, 2006 "Fond Farewell to a Knight in shining armour" (Page 3)