Gao Lingwei 高凌霨 | |
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| ActingPresident of China | |
| In office 14 June 1923 – 10 October 1923 | |
| Premier | Himself (acting) |
| Preceded by | Li Yuanhong |
| Succeeded by | Cao Kun |
| ActingPremier of China | |
| In office 14 June 1923 – 12 January 1924 | |
| President | Himself (acting) Cao Kun |
| Preceded by | Zhang Shaozeng |
| Succeeded by | Sun Baoqi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1870-09-12)September 12, 1870 |
| Died | March 4, 1940(1940-03-04) (aged 69) |
| Nationality | Republic of China |
| Political party | Non-partisan |
| Awards | Order of the Precious Brilliant Golden Grain |
Gao Lingwei (Chinese:高凌霨;pinyin:Gāo Língwèi;Wade–Giles:Kao Ling-wei;Hepburn: Kō Ryōi); (1870–1940) was a Chinese politician during the lateQing dynasty and the earlyRepublic of China.
ATianjin native, he was appointed toHubei where he held many offices relating to finance and education including a stint as superintendent of the provincial military academy. There he became a protégé ofZhang Zhidong in China's modernization effort and was appointed governor ofHunan. After theXinhai Revolution, he returned to Tianjin and subsequently became a minister in manyWarlord era cabinets. In 1923, he became theActing President whileCao Kun "campaigned" for the presidency by bribing theNational Assembly. Finally, he served briefly as Cao's firstpremier.
Gao Lingwei was born inTianjin in 1868. He successfully passed theImperial examinations and was afterwards assigned to the province ofHubei for official appointment. He was the sub-director of the high school attached to Chin Hsin College, and superintendent of the Military Academy in Hubei. Later, he became the director of the Hubei Government Mint. While holding the position of Viceroy of Hunan and Hubei,Zhang Zhidong ordered the establishment of an arsenal, industrial plants and copper and silver mints, and also encouraged the establishment of schools in his territory. Gao Lingwei participated in all these activities to the satisfaction of the Great Viceroy. In 1906, he was promoted to be the Commissioner of Education in Hubei. It was at a time when the Central Government tried to concentrate power inBeijing and local finances were consequently stringent and funds for education became very scant. Despite such circumstances Gao Lingwei found the necessary funds was able to increase the number of schools in that province by tenfold in a few months. In 1909 Gao Lingwei was promoted to be the Provincial Treasurer, a very high provincial appointment at that time. After serving in that important capacity for some time, one of his parents died, and according to the ancient custom, he had to retire from official duties for three years.
When theXinhai Revolution came in 1911, Gao Lingwei went to Tianjin and continued living in retirement. During his retirement in Tianjin, at the request of his friends, he did all he could to direct the organization of banks along modern lines in different parts of the country. In August 1913 he was appointed the acting chief of the Financial Bureau ofZhili Province. In September 1913 he was ordered to act concurrently as Chief of the Preparation Bureau for the Collection of National Taxes in Zhili. He was relieved of these two posts in April 1914. In 1915 Gao Lingwei was the High Advisor to the Office of the Tuchun of the Three Eastern Provinces. In August 1917, he became a member of theLegislative Yuan from Zhili. In August 1920, he was appointed as the Vice-Minister of Agriculture and Commerce. In January 1921 he received the Second Class Tashou Chiaho. In July 1921 he was appointed as the vice-president of the Bank of Agriculture and Commerce. In October 1921 he was appointed as the Minister of Finance and awarded the First Class Tashou Chiaho. In November 1921 he was ordered to become the concurrently Director General of the Currency Bureau and also the Director General of the Salt Administration. In December 1921, he was transferred to become the Minister of the Interior. In this capacity he served in January 1922 the following concurrent positions: Director-General of Famine Relief; Director General of the Metropolitan Municipal Administration; and President of the Yangtze River Commission. In March 1922 Gao Lingwei was awarded the First Class Wenfu. In May 1922 he was ordered to act concurrently as Minister of Communications. This acting post was only held by him for half a month. In June 1922 Gao Lingwei was relieved of the portfolio of the Interior Ministry. On the 18th of the same month he was appointed to be the Civil Governor of Zhili, but he did not assume office and on the 24th he was relieved of the post of governor. In August 1922 he was appointed as the Acting Minister of Finance, in September he was transferred to become the Acting Minister of Agriculture and Commerce. In October 1922 Gao Lingwei was awarded the First Class Tashou Paokuang Chiaho. In November 1922 he was transferred to be the Acting Minister of the Interior. In January 1923 he was appointed as the Minister of the Interior. In February he was ordered to hold concurrently the Presidency of the Yangtze River Commission. In October 1923 Gao Lingwei was appointed Premier of China. He held this position was held until January 1924, when he was appointed to be the Director General of the Customs Administration to succeedSun Baoqi, who had been appointed as the Premier. However, in October 1924, the armies of the warlordFeng Yuxiang overthrew President Cao Kun, and Gao Lingwei fled to Tianjin, and from there to Shanghai.
In 1926, Gao Lingwei returned from Shanghai to Tianjin, where he lived at theJapanese concession. He came into contact there withDuan Qirui,Wang Yitang andZhang Yanqing, the future foreign minister ofManchukuo) and was active in promoting Sino-Japanese relations. He began cooperating with the Japanese secret services from 1930. In 1935, Gao Lingwei was made a member of theHebei-Chahar Political Council. After the start of theSecond Sino-Japanese War, he joined the pro-JapaneseProvisional Government of the Republic of China led byWang Kemin, who appointed him acting Mayor of Tianjin. From December 17, 1937, he was appointed governor of Hebei province. However, he resigned his post in May 1938 and moved to Beijing, where he died of a heart attack in 1940.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | President of China 1923 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Premier of China 1923–1924 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by office established | Mayor of Tianjin 1937–1938 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by office established | Governor of Hebei 1938–1939 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
| People | |
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| Provisional Government |
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| Beiyang government |
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| Nationalist government (Chairman) |
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| Constitutional government (Indirect election) |
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| Constitutional government (Direct election) | ||
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See alsoList of presidents of the Republic of China Xia →Shang →Zhou →Qin →Han →3 Kingdoms →Jìn /16 Kingdoms →S. Dynasties /N. Dynasties →Sui →Tang →5 Dynasties & 10 Kingdoms →Liao /Song /W. Xia /Jīn →Yuan →Ming →Qing →ROC /PRC | ||
