Walter John Napier, 1857-

Sir Walter John Napier (b. 10 July 1857, Alderly Lodge, Cheshire, England - d.?) was joint founder of the firm Drew & Napier, and Attorney-General of Singapore from 1907-1909, during which he was responsible for introducing a new Civil Procedure Code. As a lawyer-academic, Napier played a key role in the publication of the Straits Settlements Law Reports in 1893 and was its first editor. He was also the author of An Introduction to the Study of Law Administered in the Colony of the Straits Settlements, which addressed the contentious areas between English and native law.  Napier also served as Secretary of the Straits Settlements Association from 1890, and was a founder member of the Straits Philosophical Society. In honour of his services, Napier was knighted in 1909. Napier was also an active Freemason, and was District Grand Master of the District Grand Lodge of the Eastern Archipelago from 1903-1910.

Early Life
Napier was born to the family of George W. Napier. He was educated at Rugby and apprenticed with a Manchester firm. He broke his contract to study at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he took a first in Law. He was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1881, and practiced as a barrister in Manchester from 1882 to 1888.

Civic Contributions
Napier came to Singapore and founded the law firm Drew & Napier with Alfred Henry Drew in 1889. In 1896 he was appointed as acting Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council, and held the position until 1897. He was reappointed from 1900 to 1907 as a full Unofficial Member. During his term, he introduced two bills, namely the Married Women's Property Bill and the Partition Bill in 1902, which were later passed as ordinances. On 1 March 1907, Napier was appointed Attorney-General of Singapore. He served in this position until 31 December 1909. Napier was instrumental in spearheading a new Code of Civil Procedure, and for preparing the Merchant Shipping Ordinance of 1910. As Secretary of the Straits Settlements Association, he also drafted the vital memorandum of the Association on the military contribution question in March 1893. In honour of his services, Napier was knighted on 9 March 1909. He came out of retirement in 1912 to serve on the Colonial Office Committee on the Land Tenure of West African Colonies and Protectorates.  

Contributions to Law Publishing
Napier was the proponent and first editor of the Straits Settlements Law Reports which started in 1893. The journal became the pillar of law reporting in Singapore. In 1898, Napier published the highly regarded Introduction to the Study of the Law Administered in the Colony of the Straits Settlements, which was submitted as his dissertation for a doctorate degree in Civil Law with the Oxford University in 1900.

Freemasonry
Napier was initiated as a Freemason in 1880 in Apollo University Lodge at Oxford.  In 1892, he joined the Lodge of St. George and held various offices including District Grand Treasurer, District Grand Senior Warden and President of the Board of General Purposes.  On 20 February 1903, Napier was installed as District Grand Master of the Eastern Archipelago.  He also founded the Napier Lodge in Teluk Anson on 29 November 1909, and became its Patron.   



Author
Joshua Chia Yeong Jia



References
Lim, K. H. (2003).  Installation of District Grand Master and Grand Superintendent, May 31, 2003 (p. 75).  Singapore: District of the Eastern Archipelago, United Grand Lodge of England.
(Call no.: RSING 366.1095957 INS)

Makepeace, W., Brooke, G. E., & Braddell, R. St. J. (Eds.). (1991). One hundred years of Singapore (Vol. 1, pp. 231-233). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 ONE)

Tan, K. Y. L.  (Ed.). (2005).  Essays in Singapore legal history (pp. 200, 203, 212-213).  Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Academic & Singapore Academy of Law.
(Call no.: RSING 349.5957 ESS)

Thian, Y. S., Chong, C. C., & Lim, S. (Eds.) (2002). In session: Supreme Court Singapore: The building, her heritage and her people (p. 58). Singapore: Supreme Court.
(Call no.: RSING 347.5957035 IN)

Attorney-General's Chamber.  (2006).  About us: Our history.  Retrieved August 11, 2006, from
http://www.agc.gov.sg (then click on About us > history)



The information in this article is valid as at 2007 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources.  It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject.  Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.