Charles Montague Ede

Charles Montague Ede, JP (1865 – 22 May 1925) was a Hong Kong businessman and unofficial member of the Executive Council and Legislative Council of Hong Kong.

Ede was born at Constantinople in a Cornish family. He joined the Union Insurance Society of Canton in March 1884 where his uncle N. J. Ede was the secretary for many years and then the manager of the company.

He worked for the insurance company for 40 years and was manager of the Shanghai branch and had also stationed in North China and Yokohama. He became the general manager of the company in 1908 in succession to W. J. Saunders. Under his leadership, the Union Insurance Society of Canton expanded as a global insurance company, opened up new branches at Tokyo, Hankow, Tientsin, Scurabaya, Bombay, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Vancouver, Tornto, Buenos Ayres, Cario and Johannesburg and numerous other agencies.

The company merged with the North China Insurance Co. in 1911 and the China Fire Insurance Co. in 1915. The capital of the company increased to $4,000,000 in 1915 and four years later to £2,000,000. When Ede retired due to ill health and replaced by Paul Lauder in May 1924, the total assets of the company had already exceeded over five millions.

During his time in China he involved in the Chinese politics as being an adviser to the Viceroy of Nanking when in Shanghai and adviser to Tuchun of Szechuen. He helped set up the China Consortium to draw agreements with various governments. He also served in the Shanghai Municipal Council and organised a famine relief fund in the 1890s.

After he moved to Hong Kong, he joined the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and was on the committee of the Chamber. He was made Justice of the Peace since February 1908and appointed as unofficial member of the Legislative Council for the first time in April 1911, When Henry Pollock, unofficial member of the Legislative Council elected by Justices of Peace February 1913, Ede was nominated by the Justices of Peace to the Legislative Council. He was also an unofficial member of the Executive Council appointed in 1922 during the absence of Henry Pollock. He was appointed to the Executive Council twice again in 1924 after his announced his retirement from the company.

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