Anson Chan

Anson Chan Fang On-sang
陳方安生
Chan in 2005
Chief Secretary of Hong Kong
In office
29 November 1993  30 April 2001
MonarchElizabeth II (until 1997)
GovernorChris Patten (until 1997)
Chief ExecutiveTung Chee-hwa (from 1997)
Preceded bySir David Ford
Succeeded bySir Donald Tsang
7th Secretary for the Civil Service
In office
19 April 1993  October 1993
MonarchElizabeth II
GovernorChris Patten
Preceded byEdward Barrie Wiggham
Succeeded byMichael Sze
5th Secretary for Economic Services
In office
23 March 1987  19 April 1993
MonarchElizabeth II
GovernorSir David Wilson
Chris Patten
Preceded byJohn Francis Yaxley
Succeeded byGordon Siu
Member of the Legislative Council
In office
3 December 2007  30 September 2008
Preceded byMa Lik
Succeeded byRegina Ip
ConstituencyHong Kong Island
In office
29 November 1993  31 July 1995
Appointed byChris Patten
ConstituencyOfficial (as Chief Secretary)
In office
11 October 1989  22 August 1991
Appointed bySir David Wilson
ConstituencyOfficial (as Secretary for Economic Services)
Personal details
Born (1940-01-17) 17 January 1940
Shanghai, China
Spouse
Archibald Chan
(m. 1963; died 2010)
RelationsFang Zhaoling (mother)
Harry Fang (uncle)
Children2
EducationSacred Heart Canossian College
St. Paul's Convent School
Alma materUniversity of Hong Kong (BA)
Tufts University
Anson Chan
Traditional Chinese陳方安生
Simplified Chinese陈方安生
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinChén-Fāng Ānshēng
Wade–GilesChʻên2-Fang1 An1-shêng1
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationChàhn-Fōng Ōnsāng
JyutpingCan4-Fong1 On1sang1

Anson Maria Elizabeth Chan Fang On-sang, GBM, GCMG, CBE, JP (Chinese: 陳方安生; née Fang; born 17 January 1940) is a retired Hong Kong politician and civil servant who was the first ethnic Chinese and woman to serve as Chief Secretary, the second-highest position in both the British colonial government and the Hong Kong SAR government under the Chinese sovereignty from 1993 until she retired from the government in 2001, sparking speculations of her growing rift with Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa.

Enjoying wide popularity during her tenure and often dubbed as "Iron Lady" and the "Conscience of Hong Kong", Chan became increasingly outspoken about pushing for a faster pace of the democratisation in Hong Kong and defending the autonomy of Hong Kong. Supported by the pan-democracy camp, she stood in the 2007 Hong Kong Island by-election and briefly served as member of the Legislative Council. After her retirement in 2008, she continued to lobby domestically and internationally for democracy and autonomy of Hong Kong, until her retirement from public life entirely in 2020.