Wellington Koo

V. K. Wellington Koo
V.K. Wellington Koo in 1945
Premier of the Republic of China
In office 2 July 1924 – 14 September 1924
President	Cao Kun
Preceded by	Sun Baoqi
Succeeded by	Yan Huiqing
In office 1 October 1926 – 16 June 1927
Preceded by	Du Xigui
Succeeded by	Hu Weide
President of the Republic of China Interim
In office 1 October 1926 – 16 June 1927
Preceded by	Du Xigui (Acting)
Succeeded by	Zhang Zuolin
Ambassador of the Republic of China to the United States
In office 27 June 1946 – 1956
Preceded by	Wei Daoming
Succeeded by	Dong Xiangguang
Personal details
Born	(1888-01-29)29 January 1888 Shanghai, Qing China
Died	14 November 1985(1985-11-14) (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

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.