China 1923 Silver Dollar Tsao Kun in military uniform.
Obverse: Facing bust of President Tsao Kun in military uniform.
Reverse: In commemoration of the Promulgation of the Constitution; in Chinese - military and national flags crossed.
Tsao Kun
Cao Kun (Courtesy name: Zhongshan (仲珊)) (December 12, 1862 – May 15, 1938) was a President of Republic China and military leader of the Zhili clique in the Beiyang Army, he also served as trustee of the Catholic University of Peking.
Cao Kun infamously acquired the presidential office by openly bribing assembly members with 5,000 silver dollars each. This episode brought disrepute to the Beiyang government and its assembly, which lacked a quorum to even hold elections. It turned all the rival factions against him and his own clique began suffering from dissension.
One of his first acts as president was to promulgate the 1923 constitution of China. Hastily drafted by the guilt-ridden assembly, it was deemed the most democratic and progressive yet, but like previous charters it was ignored completely.
During a war against Zhang Zuolin in October 1924, Cao was betrayed and imprisoned by his General Feng Yuxiang in the Beijing coup. Feng occupied Beijing and forced Cao to resign. He was released two years later as a goodwill gesture by Feng to Wu Peifu.
Cao died in his home at Tianjin in May 1938.