Martin Lee

Martin Lee SC, JP
李柱銘
Martin Lee at the Congressional-Executive Commission on China meeting in April 2014
Chairman of the Democratic Party
In office 2 October 1994 – 2 December 2002
Preceded by	New title (formerly as Chairman of United Democrats)
Succeeded by	Yeung Sum
Member of the Legislative Council
In office 26 September 1985 – 12 September 1991
Preceded by	New title
Succeeded by	Simon Ip
Constituency	Legal
In office 12 September 1991 – 30 June 1997
Preceded by	Chan Ying-lun
Succeeded by	abolished
Constituency	Island East
In office 1 July 1998 – 30 September 2008
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	Tanya Chan
Constituency	Hong Kong Island
Personal details
Born	(1938-06-08) 8 June 1938 (age 78) Hong Kong
Nationality	Chinese
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Fangqi
Children	1
Alma mater	University of Hong Kong Lincoln's Inn
Website	MartinLee.org.hk

Martin Lee Chu-ming, SC, JP (Chinese: 李柱銘; born 8 June 1938) is a Hong Kong political activist, lawyer and former legislator. He was the founding chairman (1994–2002) of the Democratic Party in Hong Kong. He was a directly-elected Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo) for the Hong Kong Island geographical constituency. Professionally he is a barrister-at-law, the first on the order of precedence of Senior Counsels in Hong Kong.

Lee has been a prominent figure of the Hong Kong democracy movement on the international stage, especially in the United States. He is a controversial figure in Hong Kong. To human rights activists he has been labelled the "Father of Democracy" in Hong Kong. To Beijing officials, he has been labelled a "running dog of the colonialists".

After being a member of the Legislative Council for 23 years, Lee announced on 27 March 2008 that he would not seek re-election when his term ended in September of that year.

Lee was born in Hong Kong, the sixth of seven children, and raised in Guangzhou, China. A Hakka of Huizhou ancestry, he is the son of a former Kuomintang major general. After he graduated from Wah Yan College, Kowloon, Lee obtained his undergraduate BA degree in Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong. After graduation, he worked as a teacher for three years. He then studied law at Lincoln's Inn in London.

Lee was appointed Queen's Counsel of Hong Kong in 1979, and was the chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association from 1980-83. He was a LegCo member from 1985-97.