Du Xigui

Du Xigui 杜錫珪
President of the Republic of China (Acting)
In office 22 June 1926 – 1 October 1926
Preceded by	Yan Huiqing
Succeeded by	V. K. Wellington Koo
Personal details
Born	November 12, 1875 Fuzhou, Fujian, Cina
Died	December 28, 1933 (aged 58)
Nationality	Republic of China
Political party	Zhili clique
Military service
Allegiance	Qing Dynasty (1902 – 1912) Beiyang government (1912 – 1928) Republic of China (1928 – 1933)
Rank	Admiral
Battles/wars	Xinhai Revolution Chinese Civil War

Du Xigui (Chinese: 杜錫珪; Wade–Giles: Tu Hsi-Kuei; November 12, 1875 – December 28, 1933) was a Chinese naval officer during the late Qing Dynasty and the Warlord Era.

Biography

Born in Fuzhou, he graduated from the Nanjing naval college in 1902. In July 1911, Du was appointed as the commander of a vessel. His crew followed orders from Yuan Shikai to sail up the Yangtze and help put down the Wuchang Uprising later that year. However, when he saw that the Qing empire was collapsing, Du and his sailors mutinied, joining the Republican government. The uprising was what forced the Qing naval minister Sa Zhenbing to resign his post. After Yuan became the head of the government in Beijing, Du continued to serve him.

In 1922, he was made chief of the navy and helped the Zhili clique defeat Zhang Zuolin. In the spring of 1923, Shanghai's fleet rebelled and Du took responsibility by resigning but was recalled in November. In 1924, he commanded the Yangtze fleet of Jiangsu and defeated the Anhui clique's Zhejiang fleet led by Lin Jianzhang. Several ships defected to his side giving him control of Shanghai's waters.

In 1926, he served concurrently as acting president, premier, and minister of the navy. The Nanjing-based Nationalist government later employed him and sent him on an inspection tour of foreign navies.

See also

• List of premiers of the Republic of China
• List of Presidents of the Republic of China