Eric Hotung

Eric Edward Hotung
Born	(1926-06-08) 8 June 1926 Hong Kong
Died	20 September 2017(2017-09-20) (aged 91)
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, financier, benefactor
Known for	Prominent Hong Kong billionaire; philanthropy; international diplomacy

Eric Edward Hotung CBE (June 8, 1926 – September 20, 2017) was a prominent Hong Kong billionaire entrepreneur, financier, and benefactor.

Biography

Eric Hotung was born in 1926 in Hong Kong into a family with a substantial business heritage. His father, Edward Hotung, was the son of Robert Hotung, the founder of the Chinese Gold and Silver Exchange. His brother was the noted art collector and philanthropist Sir Joseph Hotung.

He received his education at St. Francis Xavier's College in Shanghai before returning to Hong Kong amid World War II, where he took up work at Tung Wah Hospital. During the Japanese occupation, his family endured house arrest in Shanghai.

Following the conclusion of the war, Hotung pursued higher education in the United States and graduated from Georgetown University in 1951. He came back to Hong Kong in 1957 to take over the family enterprises after the passing of his father and grandfather.

Hotung developed influential relationships with international political figures such as Chinese leaders Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, and Li Peng, alongside U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan. He played a pivotal role in arranging Premier Zhu Rongji's 1990 visit to Washington and was instrumental in securing the release of dissident physicist Fang Lizhi. Moreover, he advocated for the freedom of Communist Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, who was detained following the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

In response to the 1999 East Timorese crisis, Hotung acquired the former Australian naval vessel HMAS Moresby to assist in repatriating approximately 12,800 refugees. After East Timor gained independence, he was designated as its ambassador-at-large.

In 2000, he contributed $5 million to establish the Eric E. Hotung International Law Center at Georgetown University Law Center. The British government honored him with a Commander of the British Empire title in 2001.

Personal life

Hotung was married to Patricia Anne Shea, originally from the United States. Previously recognized in Hong Kong for his relationship with his cousin Winnie Ho Yuen-kin—sister of gambling tycoon Stanley Ho—he fathered eight children, including two with Winnie Ho. His residence was at the Osborne Apartments in New York City.

In 2006, Anthony Hotung, one of his sons, filed a lawsuit against him and Winnie Ho concerning undisclosed interests within two family trusts. Later, in 2012, a court in Fairfax County mandated that Hotung pay $1.2 million to his son Michael Hotung due to libel claims.

Eric Edward Hotung died on September 20, 2017.