Henry Kao

Henry Kao or Kao Yu-shu (Chinese: 高玉樹; pinyin: Gāo Yùshù; 3 September 1913 – 15 June 2005) was a Taiwanese politician. He served as Mayor of Taipei from 1954 to 1957 and again between 1964 and 1972, when he was named Minister of Transportation and Communications. Kao remained a public servant for the rest of his life, as minister without portfolio until 1989, then presidential adviser until his death.

Henry Kao
Kao Yu-shu
高玉樹
Kao in 2000
Minister of Transportation and Communications
In office
1 June 1972 – 11 June 1976
Preceded byChang Chi-cheng
Succeeded byLin Chin-sheng
Mayor of Taipei
In office
2 June 1964 – 10 June 1972
Preceded byHuang Chi-jui
Succeeded byChang Feng-hsu
In office
2 June 1954 – 2 June 1957
Preceded byWu San-lien
Succeeded byHuang Chi-jui
Personal details
Born(1913-09-03)3 September 1913
Taihoku Prefecture, Taiwan, Empire of Japan
Died15 June 2005(2005-06-15) (aged 91)
Taipei, Taiwan
NationalityTaiwanese
Political partyChina Democratic Socialist Party
Kuomintang
Alma materWaseda University
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionEngineer

Education

Kao studied engineering at Waseda University in Japan.[1][2] In 1999, he was the 55th person and first Taiwanese to receive an honorary doctorate from Waseda University.[3]

Political career

Kao won his first term as mayor of Taipei in 1954, with the support of the China Democratic Socialist Party.[4] He ran again in 1957 and lost due to suspected voter fraud.[5] Kao ended his 1960 bid for the Taipei mayoralty when the Kuomintang barred him from asking citizens to watch the polling areas in an attempt to combat electoral fraud. In 1963, the government agreed to hold fairer elections and allowed Kao to run.[5] Though KMT candidate Chou Pai-lien was expected to win, Kao repeatedly challenged Chou to debates that Chou continually ignored. Due to the disagreement about debate attendance, Kao managed to win an upset victory.[6] Because the Kuomintang also lost the mayoralties of Tainan and Keelung in 1963, Chiang Kai-shek made Taipei a special municipality in 1967. As a result, Taipei City Government officials were appointed by, and reported directly to, the Executive Yuan.[1][2] Chiang kept Kao in his post as mayor until 1972 to avoid the ire of Taiwanese citizens.[2] Kao later agreed to join the Kuomintang and was appointed Minister of Transportation and Communications. He was named minister without portfolio in 1976 and presidential adviser in 1989.[7] Upon ending his independent candidacy for president in January 1996,[8][9] Kao returned to an advisory role and served until his death in 2005.[7]

References
  1. Tsai, S. (2005). Lee Teng-hui and Taiwan's Quest for Identity. Springer. p. 104. ISBN 9781403977175.
  2. Fairbank, John King; MacFarquhar, Roderick (1991). The Cambridge History of China. p. 950. ISBN 9780521243377.
  3. "Honorary Doctorate Recipients" (PDF). Waseda University. 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  4. "Minority Parties Challenge KMT". Taiwan Today. 1 September 1964. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  5. Ahern, Emily M.; Gates, Hill (1981). The Anthropology of Taiwanese Society. Stanford University Press. p. 71. ISBN 9780804710435.
  6. Schafferer, Christian (2006). Election Campaigning in East and Southeast Asia. Ashgate Publishing. p. 32. ISBN 9780754643937.
  7. Copper, John F. (2010). The A to Z of Taiwan (Republic of China). Rowman & Littlefield. p. 152. ISBN 9780810876446.
  8. Copper, John Franklin (1998). Taiwan's Mid-1990s Elections: Taking the Final Steps to Democracy. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 99. ISBN 9780275962074.
  9. Sheng, Virginia (12 January 1996). "Independents fault sign-up rules; One presidential hopeful abandons race in protest". Taiwan Today. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
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