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Past and present leaders of Singapore

Resident and Commandant (East India Company) 1819-1826
Lt. Col. William Farquhar, 6 February 1819 - 26 April 1823
Dr. John Crawfurd, 27 May 1823 - 14 August 1826

Resident Councillors (East India Company) 1826-1867
John Prince, 15 August 1826 - 18 November 1827
Kenneth Murchison, 29 November 1827 - December 1833
Samuel George Bonham, December 1833 - 1836
Thomas Church, 4 March 1837 - 1856
Henry Somerset MacKenzie, 1856 - 1859
Col. Ronald Macpherson, 1860 - 1867

Governors of the Straits Settlements (British India control) 1826-1867
Robert Fullerton, 27 November 1826 - 1830
Robert Ibbetson, 1830 - 6 December 1833
Kenneth Murchison, 7 December 1833 - 17 November 1836
Sir Samuel George Bonham, 18 November 1836 - January 1843
Col. William John Butterworth, August 1843 - 20 March 1855
Edmund Augustus Blundell, 21 March 1855 - August 1859
Col. Sir Orfeur Cavenagh, 6 August 1859 - 16 March 1867

Governors of the Straits Settlements (direct Crown control) 1867-1946
Col. Sir Harry St. George Ord R.E., 17 March 1867 - 3 November 1873
Lt. Gen. Sir Andrew Clarke, 4 November 1873 - 7 May 1875
Maj. Gen. Sir William Francis Drummond Jervois, 8 May 1875 - 3 April 1877
William Cleaver Francis Robinson, August 1877 - 10 February 1879
Sir Frederick Aloysius Weld, 6 May 1880 - 17 October 1887
Sir Cecil Clementi Smith, 17 October 1887 - 30 August 1893
Col. Charles Bullen Hugh Mitchell, 1 February 1894 - 7 December 1899
Sir Frank Althelstane Swettenham, 18 February 1901 - 12 October 1903
Sir John Anderson, 15 April 1904 - 9 April 1911
Sir Arthur Henderson Young, 9 September 1911 - 24 August 1919
Sir Laurence Nunns Guillemard, 3 February 1920 - 5 May 1927
Sir Hugh Charles Clifford, 3 June 1927 - 20 October 1929
Sir Cecil Clementi, 5 February 1930 - 16 February 1934
Sir Thomas Shenton Whitelegge Thomas, 9 November 1934 - 31 March 1946
(Japanese prisoner in World War II, 15 February 1942 - 15 August 1945)

British Military Adminstration 1945-1946
Lord Louis Mountbatten, 5 September 1945 - 31 March 1946

Governors of the Crown Colony of Singapore 1946-1959
Sir Franklin Gimson, 1 April 1946 - 20 March 1952
Sir John Fearns Nicoll, 23 April 1952 - 3 June 1955
Sir Robert Brown Black, 30 June 1957 - 2 June 1959
Sir William Goode, 9 December 1957 - 2 June 1959

Chief Ministers 1956-1959
David Marshall, 6 April 1955 - 7 June 1956
Lim Yew Hock, 3 June 1956 - 1 June 1959

Head of State (Yang di-Pertuan Negara) 1959-1965
Sir William Goode, 3 June 1959 - 2 December 1959
Yusof bin Ishak, 3 Dec 1959 - 21 December 1965

Presidents of Singapore 1965-
Yusof bin Ishak, 22 December 1965 - 23 November 1970
Prof. Benjamin Henry Shears, 2 January 1971 - 12 May 1981
Chengara Veetil Devan Nair, 24 October 1981 - 28 March 1985
Wee Kim Wee, 2 September 1985 - 1 September 1993
Ong Teng Cheong (first elected President), 1 September 1993 - 31 August 1999
Sellapan Ramanathan, 1 September 1999 -

Prime Ministers 1959-
Lee Kuan Yew, 3 June 1959 - 28 November 1990
Goh Chok Tong, 28 November 1990 - 12 August 2004
Lee Hsien Loong, 12 August 2004 -


Author
Vernon Cornelius 



References
Saran, S. (1986). Encyclopedia of the coins of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, 1400-1986 (pp. 449-450). Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia Numismatic Society.
(Call no.: RSING 737.49595 SAR) 

Tyers, R. K. (1993). Ray Tyers' Singapore: Then and now (pp. 285, 369-370). Singapore: Landmark Books.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 TYE)

Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles: Book of days (pp. 71, 103-117). (1993). Singapore: Antiques of the Orient.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57021092 SIR)

Henson, B., & Zuraidah Ibrahim.  (1990, November 28). VIPs to witness historic swearing-in of new PM [Microfilm: NL 17130].  The Straits Times, p.20.

President Ong to work with govt to shape political system.  (1993, September 2).  Business Times.  Retrieved May 12, 2008, from Factiva database.

PM makes farewell call.  (1993, September 2).  The Straits Times.  Retrieved May 12, 2008, from Factiva database.

Teo, L. (2004, August 12). PM Goh chairs last Cabinet meeting. The Straits Times, Prime News. Retrieved May 12, 2008, from Factiva database.

Teo, L. (2004, August 10). President to ask DPM Lee to form new Govt. The Straits Times, Prime News. Retrieved May 12, 2008, from Factiva database.

Zuraidah Ibrahim. (2004, August 13). Let us shape our future together. The Straits Times, Prime News. Retrieved May 12, 2008, from Factiva database.

Zuraidah Ibrahim.  (1999, September 2).  Nathan sworn in as sixth President.  The Straits Times.  Retrieved May 12, 2008, from Factiva database.


Further Readings
Mulliner, K. (1991). Historical dictionary of Singapore (pp. 165-167). Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57003 MUL) 

Ong, C. S. (Ed.). [1989]. Guide to the sources of history in Singapore (Vol. 1, pp. xxvi-xlvii). Singapore: National Archives.
(Call no.: RSING 016.95957 GUI)  



The information in this article is valid as at 2008 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.    

Subject
Biographies>>Political Leaders
Personalities>>Biographies>>Colonial Administrators
Colonial administrators--Singapore
Presidents--Singapore
Prime ministers--Singapore
Public officers--Singapore
Law and government>>Political process>>Leadership
Law and government>>Public administration>>Ministries of state
Law and government>>Public administration>>Cabinet (Government Councils)

Librarian Recommendations
>> Sir Andrew Clarke
>> Cecil Clementi Smith
>> William A. C. Goode
>> Benjamin Sheares
>> Devan Nair
>> Ong Teng Cheong
>> S. R. Nathan
>> Goh Chok Tong


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