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The Right Honourable Christopher Francis Patten (born May 12, 1944) was a prominent British Conservative politician in the early 1990s. He was the last British Governor of Hong Kong and represented the UK in the European Union.
Educated in St Benedict's School, Ealing, and Balliol College, Oxford, he had worked in the Conservative Party since 1966, starting in its research department.
He was a member of the British House of Commons from 1979 to 1992, and Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1990 until 1992 before losing his seat for Bath to the Liberal Democrat Don Foster at the 1992 UK general election. Ironically, as party chairman he was widely considered as the main architect of the Conservative victory in that election.
In July 1992, he became the 28th and last Governor of Hong Kong until its handover to the People's Republic of China in 1997. He was given an official Chinese name Peng Dingkang (彭定康) for his governorship. Chris Patten was the only professional politician to have been Hong Kong Governor. Unlike previous Hong Kong Governors, he refused to be knighted - he was not willing to give up his political career. During his governorship, he extended the definition of function constituencies and thus virtually every Hongkonger was able to vote for the so-called indirectly elected members (see Politics of Hong Kong). His measure was strongly objected (especially by the indigenous Communists of Hong Kong who suffered from the electoral changes) and he himself was orally insulted by the PRC government. The overreaction of PRC government indeed raised his popularity to a level he never enjoyed inside the UK.
In 1999 he was appointed one of the United Kingdom's two members of the Commission of the European Communities, with responsibility for External Relations. Although nominated for the post of President in the next Commission in 2004, he was unable to gain support from France and Germany.
He is also the chancellor for the universities of Newcastle and Oxford.
He is a patron of the Tory Reform Group.
| Preceded by: Nicholas Ridley | Secretary of State for the Environment 1989–1990 | Followed by: Michael Heseltine |
| Preceded by: Kenneth Baker | Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1990–1992 | Followed by: William Waldegrave |
| Preceded by: Lord Wilson of Tillyorn | Governor of Hong Kong 1992–1997 | Replaced by Chief Executive of Hong Kong |
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