Ho Fook

Ho Fook (; 30 November 1863 – 29 August 1926), alias Ho Chak-sang, JP, was a prominent Hong Kong Eurasian compradore and philanthropist.

Early life Ho was born in Hong Kong in 1863 to the wealthy Jew Charles Henry Maurice Bosman and Boat Dwellers mother Sze Sze.

He was also member of the District Watchmen's Committee, member of the Chinese Permanent Cemetery Committee, the Chinese Public Dispensaries Committee, advisory committee of the Tung Wah Hospital and Po Leung Kuk, the two most prominent charitable organisations in the colony. He was also the managing director of the local newspaper Hongkong Telegraph.

In 1921, Ho and fellow Legislative Councilor Lau Chu Pak established the Society for the Protection of the Mui Tsai in defense of the mui-tsai system, a form of child slavery with the support of Chinese community leaders like Ts'o Seen Wan, Chow Shou-son and Ho Kom-tong.

He served as vice-president of the Ellis Kadoorie Chinese School Society and member of the Court of the University of Hong Kong. he was also the founder of the annual scholarship for students at the Queen's College and the University of Hong Kong.

Family

Ho Fook's father was a man of Jewish Dutch ancestry named Charles Henri Maurice Bosman (1839–1892) and his mother was Madame Sze, a local woman of Bao'an (present-day Shenzhen) heritage. His brothers Sir Robert Hotung and half-brother Ho Kom-tong (same mother; father Kwok Hing-yin (郭興賢)) were also prominent social figures in Hong Kong. Ho Kom-tong's daughter Grace Ho (何愛瑜) was the mother of Bruce Lee.

Ho Fook had thirteen sons and five of them survived when Ho Fook died. All of them were educated in England and three of whom worked as compradores for various foreign companies, Ho Leung was the chief compradore of the Jardine, Matheson & Co. after his father, Ho Iu was the compradore of the Mercantile Bank of India, London and China, and Ho Ki was the compradore of E.D. Sassoon & Co. Ho Wing, another son of him who was adopted by Robert Hotung was also the compradore of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. There were also Ho Kwong and S. C. Ho in which the latter was member of the Sanitary Board. Ho Fook had also five daughters.