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, also known as Baroness Dunn, was a powerful businesswoman and politician. She was born in Hong Kong on February 29, 1940. She made history in 1990 by becoming the first Chinese woman from Hong Kong to be given the special title of Baroness in the British government.

She started her career in big British companies like Swire Group and HSBC Group. In the 1980s and 1990s, she became a very important member of Hong Kong's Executive Council and Legislative Council. She was involved in major events like the agreement for Hong Kong to return to China. She also saw the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 in China.

Lydia Dunn is best known for trying to get Hong Kong people the right to live in the United Kingdom. This was before Hong Kong was handed over to China in 1997. She was very influential until she retired from Hong Kong politics in 1995. From 1990 to 2010, she was also a member of the House of Lords in the UK. She was the first person of Chinese background to hold this position.

Early Life and Career

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

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

Lydia Dunn also held many important public roles. 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 textile and clothing products. She also spoke out against trade protectionism. 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, made her an "Unofficial Member" of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. In 1982, Governor Edward Youde appointed her to the Executive Council of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's Future Discussions

In the early 1980s, Britain and China were discussing Hong Kong's future. Lydia Dunn was part of the Hong Kong group 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. They wanted to get a better deal for Hong Kong. However, China did not agree that Hong Kong people should 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.

Right to Live in the UK

After the 1984 agreement for Hong Kong to return to China, Dunn urged the British government to let Hong Kong residents live in Britain. She is well-remembered for speaking passionately about this. In May 1989, she cried while talking to a British committee. This was during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 in China.

Dunn said it would be "morally indefensible" for Britain to hand over "British citizens to a regime that used tanks on its own people." Britain did not change its main nationality policy. However, it later allowed about 50,000 Hong Kong families to become British citizens. This was through a special scheme in 1990. That same year, Dunn was appointed to the House of Lords in the UK.

Changes in Politics

In May 1989, Dunn and other council members suggested a way to elect Hong Kong's future leader. This was a moderate idea between different political groups. However, Beijing did not approve of this plan. Dunn then changed her approach. In 1992, she said that having more directly elected seats in Hong Kong would be "unwise." She felt it would create "uncertainty, tension and discord."

When Chris Patten became Hong Kong's last governor in 1992, Dunn supported his idea. He wanted to separate the Executive Council from the Legislative Council. This would 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 with China. In 1995, Dunn announced her retirement from Hong Kong politics. This led to questions about her belief in Hong Kong's future after 1997.

After her retirement, 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.

Dunn rarely spoke in the House of Lords. In 2010, she resigned from the House of Lords. This was to keep her "non-dom" tax status.

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 reportedly lived in London since 1996. In 2010, Dunn 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 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 person and first woman from Hong Kong to be made a British peeress. She was introduced to the House of Lords as Baroness Dunn.
• She also received the Prime Minister of Japan's Trade Award in 1987.
• In 1988, she received the United States' Secretary of Commerce award.

She also received honorary degrees from several universities:

• Chinese University of Hong Kong (Doctor of Laws, 1984)
• University of Hong Kong (Doctor of Laws, 1991)
• University of Buckingham (Doctor of Science, 1995)

Publication

• In the Kingdom of the Blind (1983)

See also

• European politicians of Chinese descent
• Senior Chinese Unofficial Member