Gao Lingwei

Who was Gao Lingwei?

Gāo Língwèi was a Chinese politician during the late Qing dynasty and the Republic of China.

A Tianjin native, he was appointed to Hubei where he held many offices relating to finance and education including a stint as superintendent of the provincial military academy. There he became a protégé of Zhang Zhidong in China's modernization effort and was appointed governor of Hunan.

After the Xinhai Revolution broke out at Hubei, he returned to Tianjin and help modernize the banking system. He later became minister in many militarist cabinets. In 1923, he became the Acting President while Cao Kun was "campaigning" for the presidency by bribing the National Assembly. He served briefly as Cao's first premier.

In 1935, he became the Mayor of Tianjin. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, he collaborated with the invaders in exchange for the governorship of Hebei.