Clement-Jones family 12/22 - Person Sheet
Clement-Jones family 12/22 - Person Sheet
NameSir John Henry KESWICK , 1277
Birth1906
Death1982
EducationEton and Trinity College Cambridge
FatherMajor Henry KESWICK , 1276
Notes for Sir John Henry KESWICK
Chairman of Jardine Mathieson.

See Dictionary of National Biography

ohn followed his brother to the far east in 1929, and replaced him in Shanghai after the shooting incident. He fled the city when the Japanese took the city. He escaped to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and served during the war with Admiral Earl Mountbatten's staff.
John Keswick returned to Shanghai after the war to organize in the rebuilding of Jardine's office and to reestablish the firm's trading links throughout China and Asia. In 1949, after the communist party's takeover of China. Jardine's head office was moved to Hong Kong. Despite attempting to work with the communists business conditions became worse operations were closed in 1954 with the effective nationalisation of the companies interests and a $20m loss.
John Keswick became a member of the Hong Kong Executive Council in 1952. He retired as Tai-pan in 1953 and joined Matheson & Co in 1956. He returned temporarily as non-executive Chairman of Jardine Matheson in Hong Kong in 1970 to 1972. While in England he and his brother financed the buy-out and then public floatation of Jardine Matheson.
Last Modified 20 Sep 2008Created 4 Mar 2023 using Reunion for Macintosh