Kong Xiangxi

Kong Xiangxi, usually known during his life as Dr. H. H. Kung, was a wealthy Chinese banker and politician, who was often called the richest man in China. He came from a family of bankers and could trace his heritage back through 75 generations to Confucius. Kong studied at Oberlin College in the United States, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1906 and then received a masters’ degree from Yale University.

Kong was involved with Sun Yat-sen’s nationalist movement, the Kuomintang, starting in 1905, and was part of the movement which overthrew Imperial rule in 1911. Kong later married Chiang Kai-Shek’s oldest sister, and his association with Sun and Chiang gave him great power in China. In 1928 he was named Minister for Industry and in 1937 was named Chinese Special Ambassador to the coronation of King George VI. In 1944 Kong led the Chinese delegation to the Bretton Woods Conference in New Hampshire, USA.

After 1948 Kong retired to the United States, although he spent time frequently in Taiwan after Chiang Kai-Shek’s government was exiled to that island nation. Kong was named an IOC Member in 1939 and served until 1955, but never attended an IOC Session during his tenure on the committee.