Ngô Đình Khả

Ngô Đình Khả was a high-ranking Catholic mandarin in the Court of the Emperor Thành Thái in Huế, Vietnam. He helped established the Quoc Hoc in Hue and was also a confidant to the emperor. He strongly opposed the French dominance of the Hue Court and when the French grew tired of Emperor Thành Thái's attempts to rein in their growing influence, Kha was the only member of the Council of Ministers to refuse to sign a petition requesting the emperor's abdication. This led to him gaining widespread renown for his loyalty. However, it also led to his removal from the court and his subsequent banishment to his home village. Kha is best known for being the patriarch of the Ngô Dinh family, which was the most prominent Vietnamese Catholic family. His son Ngô Đình Diệm was the first president of South Vietnam and his son Ngô Đình Thục was the third Vietnamese Catholic Bishop. Kha has sometimes been seen as a collaborator with the French. However, more recent scholarship has shown that he may be a forgotten nationalist.