V.K. Wellington Koo
| V. K. Wellington Koo | |
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V.K. Wellington Koo in 1945
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| Premier of the Republic of China | |
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In office 2 July 1924 – 14 September 1924 |
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| President | Cao Kun |
| Preceded by | Sun Baoqi |
| Succeeded by | Yan Huiqing |
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In office 1 October 1926 – 16 June 1927 |
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| Preceded by | Du Xigui |
| Succeeded by | Hu Weide |
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President of the Republic of China Interim |
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In office 1 October 1926 – 16 June 1927 |
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| Preceded by | Du Xigui (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Zhang Zuolin |
| Ambassador of the Republic of China to the United States | |
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In office 27 June 1946 – 1956 |
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| Preceded by | Wei Daoming |
| Succeeded by | Dong Xiangguang |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
29 January 1888 Shanghai, Qing China |
| Died | 14 November 1985 (aged 97) New York City, New York, United States |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Spouse(s) | Zhang Run'e (m. 1908) Tang Baoyue (m. 1913–1918) Oei Hui-lan (m. 1920–1985) Juliana Yen (m. 1959–1985) |
| Children | Gu Dechang, Gu Juzhen, Gu Yuchang, Gu Fuchang |
| Alma mater | Columbia University |
| Occupation | Diplomat, politician |
| Wellington Koo | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 顧維鈞 | ||||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 顾维钧 | ||||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
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| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Gù Wéijūn |
| Wade–Giles | Ku Wei-chün |
V. K. Wellington Koo (29 January 1888 – 14 November 1985), whose Chinese name is variously romanized as Koo Vi Kyuin, Ku Wei-chün, and Gu Weijun, was a Chinese diplomat from the Republic of China. He was one of China's representatives at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919; served as an Ambassador to France, Great Britain and the United States; was a participant in the founding of the League of Nations and the United Nations; and sat as a judge on the International Court of Justice in The Hague from 1957 to 1967. Between October 1926 and June 1927, while serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Koo briefly held the concurrent positions of acting Premier and interim President of the Republic of China. Koo was the first and only Chinese head of state known to use a Western name publicly.
Born in Shanghai in 1887, Koo attended Saint John's University, Shanghai, and Columbia College, where he was a member of the Philolexian Society, a literary and debating club, and graduated in 1908. In 1912 he received his Ph.D. in international law and diplomacy from Columbia University.
Koo returned to China in 1912 to serve the new Republic of China as English Secretary to President Yuan Shikai. In 1915, Koo was made China's Minister to the United States and Cuba. In 1919, he was a member of the Chinese delegation to the Paris Peace Conference, led by Foreign Minister Lu Zhengxiang (Lou Tseng-Tsiang). Before the Western powers and Japan, he demanded that Japan return Shandong to China. He also called for an end to imperialist institutions such as extraterritoriality, tariff controls, legation guards, and lease holds. The Western powers refused his claims and, consequently, the Chinese delegation at the Paris Peace Conference was the only nation that did not sign the Treaty of Versailles at the signing ceremony.
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