Sir Edward Charles Pearce was the chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Council for seven years, serving throughout World War I.
Biography Pearce was born 1862 in London the son of John Swayne Pearce. He was educated at the Charterhouse School.Obituary, North China Herald, 15 September 1928, p452
Pearce moved to Shanghai in the early 1884 to join the tea firm of Messrs George Oliver & Co. In 1897 he joined Messrs Ilbert & Co., and in 1905 became a partner. He subsequently took over the firm when Frederick Anderson retired in 1920.Obituary, North China Herald, 15 September 1928, p452
He served on the Shanghai Municipal Council from 1911 and, in 1913, became chairman serving throughout World War I, stepping down at the beginning of 1920. For this service the Shanghai Ratepayers Meeting unanimously resolved that he be granted the Freedom of Shanghai, a unique distinction.Obituary, North China Herald, 15 September 1928, p452 In 1922, he was knighted for his servicesNorth China Herald, Apr 8 1922, p102 and was awarded by the Chinese government the 4th Class Order of Chiaho.Straits Times, 6 June 1922
He left Shanghai in 1922 and returned to England, where he settled down near London in Little Portnall, Wentworth, Virginia Water.Obituary, North China Herald, 15 September 1928, p452
He died on 8 September 1928 in England.North China Herald, 15 September 1928, p427
Marriage
Pearce married Marion Everett in 1894. They had two children. One, a baby, was drowned and the other was killed in action in World War I in France.Obituary, North China Herald, 15 September 1928, p452
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