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Stanley Toft Stewart

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For other uses, see Stanley Stewart (disambiguation).
Stanley Toft Stewart
PJG CMG
Born(1910-06-13)13 June 1910
Penang, Straits Settlements, British Malaya
Died9 February 1992(1992-02-09) (aged 81)
Singapore
Alma materRaffles College
St. Xavier's Institution
SpouseTherese Zelie de Souza (m. 1935)
Children7

Stanley Toft Stewart PJG CMG (13 June 1910 – 9 February 1992) was a former Singaporean civil servant, diplomat and former district officer of Butterworth and Balik Pulau.[1]

Stewart served as the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs (1959–1963), Prime Minister's Office (1963–1964), and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1969–1972). Stewart was also the first high commissioner to Australia from 1966 to 1969.[1]

Early life and education

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Stewart was born in Penang on 13 June 1910, and he was the eldest son. His father, Charles Campbell Stewart, was an office assistant in the resident councillor's office of Penang, and his mother, Jeanette Matilda Doral, was the third daughter of Maximo Peter Doral, a clerk.[2][3]

Stewart received his early education at St. Xavier's Institution.[4] During the school's annual sports competition in 1929, Stewart won first place in a 100 yards (91 m) dash and set a shot put school record after he threw 33 feet 11.5 inches (10.35 m).[5][6] In 1933, Stewart broke his own shot put record by 7 inches (0.18 m).[7] He graduated with a School Certificate in 1928.[8]

In 1933, Stewart graduated from Raffles College with a diploma in arts.[9]

Career

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In 1934, Stewart was supposed to be one of the two to be appointed as a Queen's Scholar, which would have allowed him to further his studies in the United Kingdom, but he was unsuccessful.[2][10] Instead, he was one of the first two to be selected to the work in the Straits Settlements Civil Service, and he left Penang for Singapore on 1 October 1934.[11] The other individual selected was Tan Thoon Lip.[12] Stewart was attached to the Land Office under the Ministry of Local Government, Lands and Housing, and in 1936, Stewart was appointed as a police magistrate and assistant district officer of Butterworth.[13] Stewart also remained active in sports by competing against other clubs in bowling and tennis.[14][15][16]

In 1939, Stewart was transferred to Balik Pulau, and during the Japanese occupation of Malaya, he remained in the same position, reporting to a Japanese superior.[17][18] After the war, Stewart was transferred back to Butterworth and promoted to serve as a district officer in the Colonial Administrative Service, one of the first locally born to be appointed for the position.[4][19]

In 1957, Stewart became the deputy chief secretary and acting chief secretary of Singapore.[4] During a debate in the 1st Legislative Assembly of Singapore on 17 December 1957, he had to defend a S$13 million defence budget, claiming that Singapore needed local defence forces for internal security, as the British was only responsible for Singapore's external defence.[20][21]

In 1959, Stewart was appointed as the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, and he was involved in merger talks alongside other government officials such as Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and Minister for Finance Goh Keng Swee.[22][23] In 1963, Stewart was appointed as the permanent secretary in the Prime Minister's Office and head of civil service, before officially retiring in 1964.[1]

After Singapore gained its indepence, the government began recruiting public servants from various government departments to form its initial cohort of diplomats. In August 1966, Stewart was appointed as Singapore's first high commissioner to Australia, and he expressed his desire to expand trade between both countries through exporting a wider variety of goods from Singapore, such as electronics and confectionery.[1][24][25] Stewart returned three years later to become the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).[1][26] During his tenure, Stewart was involved in discussions to split Malaysia–Singapore Airlines.[27][28] Stewart also proposed the establishment of a distinct class of professional diplomats, leading to the creation of a foreign diplomatic service. This initiative formalised the recruitment of career diplomats, establishing a separate and specialised diplomatic corps.[29]

In 1972, Stewart left MFA and became the chief executive of the National Stadium Corporation, overseeing the construction and opening of the National Stadium.[18] His last appointment before retiring in 1973 was as the chief executive director of the Singapore Sports Council.[1]

Personal life

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In 1935, Stewart married Therese Zelie de Souza, and they had seven daughters.[1][18][30]

Stewart died of a heart attack on 9 February 1992.[1][18][31] His wife died on 9 September 2018 at the age of 104, and she was the oldest Eurasian Singaporean.[32][33]

Awards and decorations

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Former top civil servant Stewart dies at 81". The Straits Times. 12 February 1992. p. 19. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Queen's Scholar Selected For Appointment". The Straits Times. 14 July 1934. p. 18. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  3. ^ "SOCIAL AND PERSONAL". Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle. 9 January 1909. p. 4. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d "THE QUEEN HONOURS 2,200 OF HER SUBJECTS". The Straits Times. 12 June 1958. p. 1. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  5. ^ "ST. XAVIER'S ANNUAL SPORTS". Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle. 1 July 1929. p. 11. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  6. ^ "Fostering Team Spirit At Penang". The Straits Times. 2 July 1929. p. 13. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  7. ^ "Six Local Records Lowered". The Singapore Free Press. 15 August 1933. p. 6. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  8. ^ "CAMBRIDGE EXAMINATION RESULTS". Straits Echo. 21 March 1928. p. 177. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  9. ^ "FIRST STRAITS CIVIL SERVANTS". The Straits Times. 24 November 1934. p. 17. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  10. ^ "Mainly About Malayans". The Straits Times. 28 February 1937. p. 12. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  11. ^ "MR. STANLEY STEWART ENTERTAINED: Selected For S.S. Civil Service". Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle. 28 September 1934. p. 11. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  12. ^ "STRAITS CIVIL SERVICE". Malaya Tribune. 11 July 1934. p. 9. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  13. ^ "MR. ROBLESS' NEW POST: Mr. S. Stewart To Go To Butterworth". Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle. 30 June 1936. p. 1. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  14. ^ "SPORTS CLUB–P.R.C. MATCH REVIEWED". Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle. 16 February 1937. p. 14. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  15. ^ "BRIGHT KNOCK OF 97 BY S. STEWART". Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle. 15 March 1937. p. 14. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  16. ^ "P.R.C. HANDICAP TENNIS". Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle. 22 November 1939. p. 11. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  17. ^ "S.S CIVIL SERVICE: Mr. R. C. Hoffman For Butterworth". Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle. 6 April 1939. p. 16. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  18. ^ a b c d Theseira, Benett; Morris, Rebecca; Fernandez, Angelina; Rodrigues, Peter; Chen, Rachel, eds. (2012). The New Eurasian: January – March 2012 (PDF). Singapore: The Eurasian Association. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  19. ^ Khor, Cheang Kee (7 September 1949). "PROVINCE WELLESLEY". The Straits Times. p. 6. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  20. ^ "A SECOND 'NO' FOR MARSHALL". The Singapore Free Press. 25 April 1957. p. 3. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  21. ^ "Stewart: Defence spending essential". The Singapore Free Press. 17 December 1957. p. 1. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  22. ^ "TENGKU HOPEFUL". The Straits Times. 27 July 1962. p. 1. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  23. ^ "M-CASH: NOT TO WORRY, SAYS GOH". The Straits Times. 12 June 1963. p. 11. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  24. ^ "S'pore's 'more trade' bid". The Straits Times. 13 August 1966. p. 6. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  25. ^ "New envoy hopes to expand trade with Aussies". The Straits Times. 29 September 1966. p. 5. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  26. ^ "Rajah for Canberra". The Straits Times. 17 August 1971. p. 15. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  27. ^ Raman, P. M. (26 January 1971). "MSA to split". The Straits Times. p. 1. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  28. ^ "Second round of talks on MSA split today". The Straits Times. 3 February 1971. p. 24. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  29. ^ Lim, Ivan (8 April 1972). "Career men for foreign missions". New Nation. p. 2. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  30. ^ "Remembering Stanley". The New Paper. 2 August 1995. p. 5. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  31. ^ Cheong, Danson (10 April 2017). "PM Lee: Eurasians have made many contributions to Singapore". The New Paper. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  32. ^ Fernandez, Angelina; Tan, Samuel; Danker, Ion, eds. (2018). The New Eurasian: January – December 2018 (PDF). Singapore: The Eurasian Association. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  33. ^ Lee, Hsien Loong (13 September 2018). "Mrs Therese Stewart passed away last Sunday". Facebook. Retrieved 10 December 2024.[self-published]
  34. ^ "State of Singapore Government Gazette Extraordinary". PMO. 3 June 1962. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  35. ^ Braga-Blake, Myrna; Ebert-Oehlers, Ann; Pereira, Alexius A., eds. (21 December 2016). Singapore Eurasians: Memories, Hopes And Dreams. Singapore: World Scientific. pp. 134–135. ISBN 978-9-8131-0961-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
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