Zhili clique warlord who bought the presidency, the "bribery president" deposed in the Beijing Coup
Born in 1862 to a poor boat-builder's family in Tianjin, he joined the Huai Army and, after the Sino-Japanese War, Yuan Shikai's New Army, rising quickly. He commanded the Beiyang 3rd Division from 1907, became military governor of Zhili in 1916 and led the Zhili clique after Feng Guozhang died in 1919. He defeated Duan Qirui in the Zhili–Anhui War of 1920 and Zhang Zuolin in the First Zhili–Fengtian War of 1922, taking control of the Beijing government. Having forced out Xu Shichang and Li Yuanhong, he was elected president in October 1923 by paying each member of parliament 5,000 silver dollars. In 1924 his subordinate Feng Yuxiang imprisoned him in the Beijing Coup and forced him out; he was freed in 1926. Retired in Tianjin, he refused Japanese requests to head a collaborationist government and died of pneumonia in 1938.
Also known as: Ts'ao K'un
Activities and affiliations
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1907–1911
Qing dynasty state institutionsCommander of the Beiyang 3rd Division
Military command -
1916–1924
Beiyang government and warlordsMilitary governor of Zhili; leader of the Zhili clique
Military command -
1923–1924
Beiyang government and warlordsPresidentHeads of state, government and party of ChinaMain
Political and party leadership
Career Timeline
- 1882Joined the Huai Army
- 1895Joined Yuan Shikai's New Army at Xiaozhan
- 1907–1912.02Commander of the Beiyang 3rd Division
- 1912.02Commander of the Army 3rd Division
- 1916.09Military governor of Zhili
- 1919.12Leader of the Zhili clique
- 1920.07Victory in the Zhili–Anhui War
- 1920.09Inspector-general of Zhili, Shandong and Henan
- 1922Victory in the First Zhili–Fengtian War
- 1923.10.10–1924.11.02President
- 1924.11–1926.04Under house arrest after the Beijing Coup