Wellington Koo

Wellington Koo
顧維鈞
Koo in 1945
President of the Republic of China
Acting 1 October 1926 – 17 June 1927
Premier	Himself
Preceded by	Du Xigui (acting)
Succeeded by	Zhang Zuolin (as Generalissimo of the Military Government)
Premier of the Republic of China
In office 11 January 1927 – 16 June 1927
President	Himself
Preceded by	Himself (acting)
Succeeded by	Pan Fu
Acting 1 October 1926 – 11 January 1927
President	Himself (acting)
Preceded by	Du Xigui (acting)
Succeeded by	Himself (as Premier)
Acting 2 July 1924 – 14 September 1924
President	Cao Kun
Preceded by	Sun Baoqi
Succeeded by	Yan Huiqing
Chinese Ambassador to the United States
In office 27 June 1946 – 21 March 1956
Preceded by	Wei Tao-ming
Succeeded by	Hollington Tong
In office 25 October 1915 – 29 September 1920
Preceded by	Kai Fu Shah [zh]
Succeeded by	Alfred Sao-ke Sze
Personal details
Born	29 January 1888 Shanghai, Qing China
Died	14 November 1985 (aged 97) New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party	Kuomintang (1942–1985)
Spouse(s)	Chang Jun-o ​ ​ (m. 1908; div. 1912)​ Tang Pao-yueh "May" ​ ​ (m. 1912; died 1918)​ Oei Hui-lan ​ ​ (m. 1920; div. 1959)​ Juliana Young Koo ​ (m. 1959)​
Children	4
Education	Columbia University (BA, MA, PhD)
Occupation	Diplomat, politician
Awards	Order of the Precious Brilliant Golden Grain Order of Rank and Merit

Koo Vi Kyuin (Chinese: 顧維鈞; pinyin: Gù Wéijūn; Wade–Giles: Ku Wei-chün; January 29, 1888 – November 14, 1985), better known as V. K. Wellington Koo, was a Chinese diplomat and politician of the Republic of China.

Born in Shanghai, Gu studied at Columbia University in the United States, where he obtained a PhD in international law and diplomacy. On his return to China in 1912, he became Yuan Shikai's secretary for foreign affairs, and in 1919, was a member of China's delegation at the Paris Peace Conference, where he unsuccessfully demanded the return of Shandong. Between 1922 and 1927, Koo successively served the Beiyang government as minister of foreign affairs, minister of finance, and twice as acting premier. After the Northern Expedition toppled the government in 1928, Koo joined the Nationalist government and continued his diplomatic career. In 1931, he represented China at the League of Nations to protest the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. He served as China's ambassador to France and Great Britain during World War II, and in 1945 represented China at the signing of the Charter of the United Nations. From 1946 to 1956, he served as the Republic of China's ambassador to the United States, and sat as a judge on the International Court of Justice in The Hague from 1957 to 1967. He retired in New York City and died at the age of 98.