The American Club - Hong Kong [1925- ]

6 July 2025. Michael Alderton (essarem) notes that on this Centenary Day, marking 100 years since the founding of Hong Kong’s American Club, it is timely to recall Harold Abbott Rand “Hank” Conant (1892-1955), a founding member of the Club, which was situated then in the Rutton Building on Duddell Street. Hank Conant worked in the legal department of the Hong Kong branch of the Standard Oil Company of New York, becoming Company Attorney in 1931. The other figure in this story, General Morris Abraham “Two Gun” Cohen, lived at this time in the Central Bank of Canton building situated on the Canton Bund where he was attached to the staff of Dr T.V. Soong, manager of the Bank and Finance Minister in the National Government at Canton. It was most probably the Finance Ministry’s initiative to commence negotiations designed to tax the Standard Oil Company’s imports into South China that had brought Hank Conant and General Cohen together in 1925. It is likely that this relationship had its beginnings in the International Settlement at Canton during the summer of 1925, where Hank Conant recalls being present while General Cohen was playing cards: Morris Cohen’s two guns were laid on a nearby table while bridge was in progress one very hot night on the Shameen. They did not seem to have much of that look that comes from hard and recent usage which was, perhaps, just as well. It is probably relevant to note here how Dr Soong had only just been appointed Finance Minister following the very public assassination of his predecessor at the Canton Railway Station – very dangerous times, indeed. It was the card table that brought the two business acquaintances, Conant and Cohen, together once again; this time in the American Club on Hong Kong’s Duddell Street. On this occasion Hank Conant relates a colorful anecdote that unfolded during the very early days of the Club, which aptly describes the fabulous General’s astonishing ability to control a game of cards for his own amusement: General Morris Cohen was in the American Club on Duddell Street. It was a rainy Saturday afternoon. The ''General,'' Cappy and Harry were playing a friendly little game of stud poker, while several more of us were trying to decipher, and guess who had signed, the ''chits'' of the week (we could not afford a paid secretary in those early days). We kept a weather eye on the game and noticed that Harry was hiding behind something that was beginning to look like the leaning tower of Pisa, and that Cappy was of a marked woe-begone appearance and didn't seem to have much in front of him to help hide it from the world. He was planning to go on Home leave, or he was up to then. We looking in again about an hour later and to our astonishment could just discern Cappy smiling behind a huge wall and that Harry was feeling far from well, Morris still being about even. Morris says that sometimes he doesn't even trust himself to play solitaire!

Hank Conant sums up his fabulous acquaintance in the following terms: General Morris Cohen was once the bodyguard of Sun Yat-sen and later similarly took care of Madame Sun. The press has variously referred to him as colorful, picturesque, ''two-gun Cohen'' and whatnot; and he is certainly all that, and generous and always willing to help a friend, too.

The above Hank Conant quotes are selected, edited extracts that have been taken from his memoir, which was published on the Internet back in the late 1990’s as “A Far East Journal, 1915-1941”. 

For illustrated insights into the life and times of London-born Chinese General Morris Abraham “Two Gun” Cohen, visit: Photos of Morris Abraham COHEN (aka Two-Gun) [1887-1970] | Gwulo 

Acknowledging 100 years of Hong Kong’s American Club. 

 July 1925 - July 2025.

Cheung Ming Bahk Sui 長命百歲 - achieved!