Lydia Dunn, Baroness Dunn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Baroness Dunn DBE JP
Dunn in 2008
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 24 August 1990 – 29 June 2010 Life Peerage
Senior Member of the Executive Council
In office 25 August 1988 – 26 July 1995
Preceded by	Sir Sze-yuen Chung
Succeeded by	Rosanna Wong
Senior Member of the Legislative Council
In office 7 August 1985 – 25 August 1988
Preceded by	Roger Lobo
Succeeded by	Allen Lee
Member of the Executive Council
In office 1 September 1982 – 26 July 1995
Appointed by	Sir Edward Youde David Wilson Chris Patten
Member of the Legislative Council
In office 1 September 1976 – 25 August 1988
Appointed by	Sir Murray MacLehose Sir Edward Youde David Wilson
Personal details
Born	(1940-02-29) 29 February 1940 (age 85) British Hong Kong
Nationality	British
Spouse	Michael Thomas ​ (m. 1988)​
Residence	United Kingdom
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley

Lydia Selina Dunn, Baroness Dunn (born 29 February 1940) is a retired British businesswoman and politician. She was born in Hong Kong. In 1990, she became the first ethnic Chinese woman from Hong Kong to be made a life peeress. This means she was given the special title of Baroness and became a member of the House of Lords in the United Kingdom.

Baroness Dunn started her career in big companies like Swire Group and HSBC Group. She held important roles in Hong Kong's government councils during the 1980s and 1990s. She was involved in major events like the agreement for Hong Kong to return to China. She is well-known for trying to get Hong Kong people the right to live in the United Kingdom. She retired from Hong Kong politics in 1995. From 1990 to 2010, she was also a member of the House of Lords. She was the first person of Chinese background to hold such a position.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Lydia Dunn was born in Hong Kong. Her parents were refugees from China. She went to school at St. Paul's Convent School in Hong Kong. Later, she studied at the College of the Holy Names and the University of California, Berkeley in the United States.

Starting in Business

When she returned to Hong Kong, she joined the Swire Group. She quickly moved up to become a director at several companies within the group. These included John Swire and Sons (HK) Ltd., Swire Pacific Ltd., and Cathay Pacific Airways. In 1981, she made history by becoming the first woman to join the board of directors at the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank. She later served as the bank's deputy chairman from 1992 to 2008.

Public Service Roles

Baroness Dunn also held many important public positions. She was the chairman of the Trade Development Council from 1983 to 1991. In this role, she traveled to other countries to promote Hong Kong's products. She also spoke out against trade barriers that made it hard for Hong Kong to sell its goods. She was a director of the Mass Transit Railway Corporation from 1979 to 1985. She also chaired the Prince Philip Dental Hospital from 1981 to 1987.

Political Journey

Lydia Dunn began her political career in Hong Kong in 1976. The Governor, Murray MacLehose, appointed her as an 'Unofficial Member' of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. In 1982, Governor Edward Youde made her an Unofficial Member of the Executive Council.

Hong Kong's Future Discussions

In the early 1980s, Britain and China were discussing Hong Kong's future. Lydia Dunn was part of the groups that went to London and Beijing. They met with leaders like Margaret Thatcher and Deng Xiaoping. Their goal was to share the concerns of Hong Kong people. However, Chinese officials did not want Hong Kong people to have an independent role in these talks.

From 1985 to 1988, Dunn was the Senior Member of the Legislative Council. In 1988, she became the Senior Member of the Executive Council.

Fighting for Rights

After the 1984 agreement that Hong Kong would return to China, Dunn strongly urged the British government. She wanted them to grant Hong Kong residents the right to live in Britain. She is well-remembered for her emotional testimony in May 1989. This was during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 in China. She said it would be "morally indefensible" for Britain to hand over its citizens to a government that used force against its own people. Britain did not change its main policy. However, it later allowed about 50,000 Hong Kong families to become British citizens.

Role in the House of Lords

In 1990, Lydia Dunn was appointed to the House of Lords in the United Kingdom. This is the upper house of the British Parliament. She was the first person of Chinese background to join the House of Lords.

She rarely spoke or attended meetings in the House of Lords. In 2010, she resigned from the House of Lords. This was due to a new law that affected people who did not pay taxes in the UK.

Later Political Views

In 1989, Dunn and other council members suggested a way to elect Hong Kong's leader after 1997. However, Beijing did not approve this idea. Later, in 1992, Dunn said that having more directly elected seats in Hong Kong would be "unwise." She also stated that it would be "improper" for the British government to ask China for more democracy.

When Chris Patten became Hong Kong's last governor in 1992, Dunn supported his idea to separate the Executive and Legislative Councils. This was to create more checks and balances in the government. After some changes, Dunn became the only remaining member of the Executive Council. She became more private during Governor Patten's time. Many thought she had lost her political influence. This was because she disagreed with his more direct approach to China. In 1995, Dunn announced her retirement from Hong Kong politics.

Life After Hong Kong Politics

After retiring from Hong Kong politics, Lydia Dunn strengthened her ties to Britain. She kept her seat in the House of Lords and held important roles in British companies like HSBC Holdings. In 1996, she moved to Britain with her husband, Michael David Thomas. He was the former Attorney General of Hong Kong.

Personal Life

Lydia Dunn married Michael David Thomas in 1988. He was the former Attorney General of Hong Kong. She has four stepchildren from his previous marriage. She has been living in London since 1996. In 2010, she sold 160 items from her art collection at Christie's.

Awards and Recognition

Lydia Dunn received many honors for her work in Hong Kong.

• In 1978, she was made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE).
• In 1983, she became a Commander (CBE).
• In 1989, she was appointed Dame Commander (DBE). She was reportedly the first person from Hong Kong to receive this honor.
• In 1990, she became the first ethnic Chinese woman from Hong Kong to be made a British peeress. She was introduced to the House of Lords as Baroness Dunn.
• She also received trade awards from the Prime Minister of Japan in 1987 and the United States' Secretary of Commerce in 1988.

Honorary Degrees

• In 1984, she received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
• In 1991, she received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Hong Kong.
• In 1995, she received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Buckingham.

Publication

• In the Kingdom of the Blind (1983)

See also

• European politicians of Chinese descent
• Senior Chinese Unofficial Member