Edmund W. Barker

Edmund William Barker DUNU (First Class) SPMJ (1 December 1920 – 12 April 2001, often referred to as "Edmund W. Barker", "E. W. Barker" or "Eddie Barker"), was a politician and lawyer from Singapore.

The Honourable

Edmund William Barker

DUNU (First Class) SPMJ
Photo of Edmund W. Barker as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Singapore between 1963 and 1964
Minister for Law
In office
1 November 1964 – 12 September 1988
Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yew
Preceded byKenneth Michael Byrne
Succeeded byS. Jayakumar
Minister for the Environment
In office
2 June 1975 – 31 January 1979
Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yew
Preceded byLim Kim San
Succeeded byLim Kim San
Minister for Science and Technology
In office
26 September 1977 – 1 April 1981
Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yew
Preceded byJek Yeun Thong
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Minister for Home Affairs
In office
16 September 1972 – 31 October 1972
Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yew
Preceded byWong Lin Ken
Succeeded byChua Sian Chin
Minister for National Development
In office
9 August 1965 – 2 June 1975
Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yew
Preceded byLim Kim San
Succeeded byLim Kim San
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Singapore
In office
25 November 1964[1] – 9 August 1965
Preceded byHo See Beng
Succeeded byoffice abolished
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Singapore
In office
22 October 1963 – 1 November 1964
DeputyDr Fong Kim Heng[2]
Preceded bySir George Oehlers
Succeeded byArumugam Ponnu Rajah
Member of Parliament for Tanglin
In office
21 September 1963 – 17 August 1988
Preceded byThio Chan Bee
Succeeded byLew Syn Pau
Personal details
Born(1920-12-01)1 December 1920
Singapore, Straits Settlements
Died12 April 2001(2001-04-12) (aged 80)
National University Hospital, Singapore
Cause of deathColon Surgery
Resting placeBidadari Cemetery, Singapore
NationalitySingaporean
Political partyPeople's Action Party (1963–1988)
Spouse(s)
Gloria Hyacinth Quintal
​
​
(m. 1948⁠–⁠2001)​
Children4
MotherDorothy Evaline Paterson
FatherClarence Barker
Alma materSt Catharine's College, Cambridge

A member of the People's Action Party (PAP), he served in the Cabinet from 1964 to 1988. He served as Leader of the House from 16 April 1968 to 1 January 1985.

Early life

Born in Singapore on 1 December 1920, he was a Eurasian Singaporean,[3] Barker was the son of Clarence Barker and Dorothy Evaline Paterson.

E. W. Barker was of mixed- Portuguese, Irish, Japanese, Scottish, Malay and German descent. His great-great grandfather was Thomas Owen Crane (1799-1869), an Irishman and one of the first ten Europeans to settle in Singapore and his great-great-great grandfather was Sir (Dr) Jose D Almeida, (1784-1850), a Portuguese doctor and well-known businessman in early Singapore.

Barker was educated at Serangoon English School and Raffles Institution, before going on to Raffles College (a predecessor institution of the present-day National University of Singapore) in 1940. A talented sports player, Barker was selected to represent Singapore as a member of the national hockey team while he was still a schoolboy. He is also known as a guitar player.[4]

During World War II, Barker traveled to Thailand as part of a medical health unit which was sent to look after Allied POWs working on the Burma-Siam Railway.

After the war, Barker was awarded a Queen's Scholarship in 1946 to study in the United Kingdom at Cambridge University, where he read law at St Catharine's College. He was then called to the bar at the Inner Temple in London, and returned to Singapore to practice law.[5]

Career

Barker practised law in Singapore from 1956 to 1964 at the law firms Braddell Brothers and Lee & Lee. He was persuaded to enter politics in 1963 by Lee Kuan Yew.

Barker was elected a member of the Singapore Legislative Assembly in 1963, representing the constituency of Tanglin. He continued to represent the constituency in the Singapore Parliament to 1988.

Barker served as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1963 to 1964.[6] In 1964, he was appointed the Minister for Law, and continued to hold that post until 1988. As Minister for Law, he drafted the Proclamation of Singapore in 1965, announcing Singapore's separation from Malaysia. During his 25 years in Parliament, Barker also served as the Minister for National Development (1965–75), Minister for Home Affairs (1972), Minister for the Environment (1975–1979), Minister for Science and Technology (1977–81) and Minister for Labour (1983).[7]

Barker retired from politics in 1988. (1963–1988)

Other roles Barker held included being the first President of the Singapore National Olympic Council (1970-1990), President of the South-East Asia Peninsular Games Federation Council (1973), Chairman of the Bukit Turf Club (1989–`994), and Chairman of the Singapore Stock Exchange (1989–1993).

Death

Barker died on 12 April 2001 at 12:40 pm at the National University Hospital, after two months of intensive care following an emergency colon surgery in February 2001. He left behind his wife Gloria Hyacinth Quintal and four children.[5]

References
  1. "PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES DEWAN RA'AYAT (HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES) OFFICIAL REPORT" (PDF). Dewan Rakyat. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  2. "Speakers of Parliament". Parliament of Singapore. Archived from the original on 21 January 2020. Scroll to bottom and expand the list of former Deputy Speaker
  3. The New Eurasian, April-June 2010. Archived 27 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Barker, Victoria. "Meet this Barker!". my paper. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  5. "E.W Barker". History Blog. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  6. "Singapore Parliament, List of Former Speakers". Archived from the original on 21 January 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  7. "Barker, Edmund William (E. W. Barker)". National Library Board. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  • Lam, Peng Er & Tan, Kevin Y.L. (1999). Lee's Lieutenants. South Wind Production. ISBN 1-86448-639-2.
  • "Old guard Stalwart Eddie Barker dies", The Straits Times, (2001, April 13), p1
  • "The reluctant politician", The Straits Times, Home, (2001, April 13), p2
  • "Breadwinner", (1970, May 8), The Straits Times, p6
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