Who's Who in China (3rd edition)/Wang Ch'ung-hui

Dr. Wang Chung-hui

王寵惠字亮疇

Dr. Wang Chung-hui was born at Canton, Kuangtung province, in 1882. He studied at the Peiyang University, Tientsin, between 1895 and 1900. During the Boxer rising, he went to Japan to study political affairs. Upon his completion of the study, he went to America to pursue a higher education. In 1904 he received his D. C. L. degree from Yale University. While in America, Dr. Wang translated the German Civil Code into English and acted as co-editor of the "Journal of the American Bar Association.” In 1905 he studied jurisprudence and international law in England, France and Germany. In the course of his post-graduate work, he was called to the English Bar at the Inner Temple. In 1907 he was appointed by the Chinese government as assistant to Lu Cheng-hsiang, China's representative to the Second Hague Conference. In the first revolution in 1911, Kuangtung elected Dr. Wang as its representative to attend the conference at Nanking for the discussion of the form of government for China. Later he was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Nanking Provisional government. In March 1912 Dr. Wang was appointed first Minister of Justice of the newly formed republican government at Peking. In July 1912 he resigned from the office of Minister of Justice upon the resignation of Tang Shao-yi from the premiership. On his resignation he was appointed Chief Advisor to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Dr. Wang instead of accepting the new appointment went to Shanghai where he was soon afterwards engaged by the Chunghua Book Publishing Company as its chief editor. Between 1914 and 1916 Dr. Wang acted concurrently as vice-president of the Fu Tan College. His interests in national affairs while being occupied with educational works were as active as ever. In 1915, when the Yuan Shih-kai monarchical movement was started, for instance, he played no small part in frustrating it. In April 1916 he was appointed to take charge of foreign affairs in Kuangtung. In 1917 he was appointed President of the Law Codification Commission, Peking. He was given the Second Class Tashou Paokuang Chiaho in October 1919 and the Second Class Wenfu in January 1920. In August 1920 he became Chief Judge of the Supreme Court. He was commissioned to be President of the Judicial Officials Punishment Commission in October 1920 and President of the Jurisdiction Discussion Commission in November 1920. In February 1921 Dr. Wang was given the First Class Tashou Chiaho. In March he was appointed in the capacity of Chief of Supreme Court to be appointed in the capacity of Chief of Supreme Court to be Chinese Representative to participate in the revision of the covenant of the League of Nations. In June 1921 he was appointed Chinese Chief Delegate to the League of Nations. In October 1921 he became one of China's Chief Delegates to the Was.rington Conference. In December 1921 he was awarded the First Class Tashou Paokuang Chiaho and subsequently was appointed Minister of Justice, which office he was not able to assume until June 1922 when he returned from America. In March 1922 he was awarded the First Class Wenfu. In August 1922, after the Chihli-Feng-tien War, Tang Shao-i was ordered to form a Cabinet. Dr. Wang who was appointed Minister of Education was asked to act Premier for Mr. Tang who could not come. From September to November, 1922, he was Acting Premier. From September 1922 to January 1923 he was President of the Political Reorganization Discussion Commission. In April 1923 he left China to assume the post of a judge of the International Court at Hague, to which position he had been elected. On his way to Holland, he visited Dr. Sun Yat-sen at Canton with a peace message from Peking. In January 1924 he was appointed Minister of Justice and Hsieh Tupeh to act for him before his return from Hague. He was officially relieved of this post in September 1924. He is still in Hague.