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{{short description|British colonial official in Malaya}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2016}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox Politician
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = Sir
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Frank Athelstane Swettenham
| name = Sir Frank Swettenham
| honorific-suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|GCMG|CH}}
| honorific-suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|GCMG|CH}}
| image = Sir Frank Swettenham by John Singer Sargent 1904.jpg
| image = Sir Frank Swettenham by John Singer Sargent 1904.jpg
| caption = Oil painting of Swettenham by [[John Singer Sargent]]
| caption = Oil painting of Swettenham by [[John Singer Sargent]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1850|3|28}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1850|3|28}}
| birth_place = [[Belper]], England
| birth_place = [[Belper]], England
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Constance Sydney Holmes]] (Sydney Swettenham)|February 1878|May 1938|end=div.}}<br>{{marriage|Vera Seton Guthrie|June 22, 1939|1946}}
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Constance Sydney Holmes]] (a.k.a. Sydney Swettenham)|February 1878|May 1938|end=div.}}
* {{marriage|Vera Seton Guthrie|June 22, 1939|1946}}
| residence = [[Carcosa Seri Negara|King's House]], Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1946|6|11|1850|3|28}}
| death_place = [[London]], UK
| office = [[King of Arms of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
| term_start = 1925
| term_end = 1938
| predecessor = [[Montagu Ommanney|Sir Montagu Ommanney]]
| successor = [[William Weigall|Sir William Weigall]]
| order1 = 15th [[List of Governors of Singapore#Governors of the Straits Settlements (1826–1942)|Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements]]
| term_start1 = 5 November 1901
| term_end1 = 16 April 1904
| predecessor1 = [[James Alexander Swettenham]] {{small|(acting Governor)}}
| successor1 = [[John Anderson (colonial administrator)|Sir John Anderson]]
| office3 = [[Resident (title)#Residents-general (and their subordinate Residents)|Resident-General of the Federated Malay States]]
| term_start3 = 1 July 1896
| term_end3 = 4 November 1901
| predecessor3 = '''Newly Created'''
| successor3 = [[William Hood Treacher]]
| office5 = 5th [[List of British Residents of Perak|British Resident of Perak]]
| term_start5 = 1 June 1889
| term_end5 = 30 June 1896
| predecessor5 = [[Hugh Low]]
| successor5 =[[William Hood Treacher]]
| office6 = 3rd British Resident of Selangor
| term_start6 = September 1882
| term_end6 = March 1884
| predecessor6 = [[Bloomfield Douglas]]
| successor6 =[[John Pickersgill Rodger]]
| office7 = 2nd [[List of British Residents of Perak|British Resident of Perak]]
| term_start7 = 5 November 1875
| term_end7 = March 1876
| predecessor7 = [[James W.W. Birch]]
| successor7 =James G. Davidson
| occupation = British colonial official
| majority = British
}}
}}
| residence = [[Carcosa Seri Negara|King's House]], Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
'''Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|GCMG|CH}} (28 March 1850 – 11 June 1946) was a British colonial administrator who became the first [[Resident general]] of the [[Federated Malay States]], which brought the Malay states of [[Selangor]], Perak, [[Negeri Sembilan]] and [[Pahang]] together under the administration of a Resident-General based in [[Kuala Lumpur]]. He served from 1 July 1896 to 4 November 1901. He was also an amateur painter, photographer and antique collector.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1946|6|11|1850|3|28}}

| death_place = [[London]], UK
He was born in [[Belper]], Derbyshire, the son of attorney James Oldham Swettenham, <ref>[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9500253 Frank Swettenham at biography.com]{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and Charlotte Elizabeth Carr and was educated at the [[Dollar Academy]] in Scotland and [[St Peter's School, York]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Barlow |first=Henry S. |date=1995 |title=Swettenham |location=Kuala Lumpur |publisher=Southdene |page=4}}</ref> He was a descendant of [[Mathew Swetenham]], Henry IV's bow bearer and the younger brother of the colonial administrator Sir [[James Alexander Swettenham]].
| office = [[King of Arms of the Order of St Michael and St George]]

| term_start = 1925
He was one of close to forty former [[British Empire]] officials to oppose the [[Malayan Union]].
| term_end = 1938

| predecessor = [[Montagu Ommanney|Sir Montagu Ommanney]]
Swettenham co-authored a "A Dictionary of the Malay Language" with [[Hugh Clifford]]. The dictionary, which was published in stages between 1894 and 1902, was abandoned after the letter 'G' as by then it had been made redundant by the publiciation of [[Richard James Wilkinson|R.J. Wilkinson]]'s "A Malay English Dictionary".<ref>{{cite book |last=Barlow |first=Henry S. |date=1995 |title=Swettenham |location=Kuala Lumpur |publisher=Southdene |page=477}}</ref>
| successor = [[William Weigall|Sir William Weigall]]
| order1 = 15th [[List of Governors of Singapore#Governors of the Straits Settlements (1826–1942)|Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements]]
| term_start1 = 5 November 1901
| term_end1 = 16 April 1904
| monarch1 = [[Queen Victoria]]<br>[[Edward VII]]
| predecessor1 = [[James Alexander Swettenham]] {{small|(acting Governor)}}
| successor1 = [[John Anderson (colonial administrator)|Sir John Anderson]]
| office3 = [[Federated Malay States#Resident-General|Resident-General of the Federated Malay States]]
| term_start3 = 1 July 1896
| term_end3 = 4 November 1901
| predecessor3 = '''Newly Created'''
| successor3 = [[William Hood Treacher]]
| office5 = 5th [[List of British Residents of Perak|British Resident of Perak]]
| term_start5 = 1 June 1889
| term_end5 = 30 June 1896
| predecessor5 = [[Hugh Low]]
| successor5 = [[William Hood Treacher]]
| office6 = 3rd [[Federated Malay States#Selangor|British Resident of Selangor]]
| term_start6 = September 1882
| term_end6 = March 1884
| predecessor6 = [[William Bloomfield Douglas]]
| successor6 = [[John Pickersgill Rodger]]
| office7 = 2nd [[List of British Residents of Perak|British Resident of Perak]]
| term_start7 = 5 November 1875
| term_end7 = March 1876
| predecessor7 = [[James W.W. Birch]]
| successor7 = James G. Davidson
| occupation = Colonial official
| majority = British
}}
'''Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|GCMG|CH}} (28 March 1850 – 11 June 1946) was a British colonial administrator who became the first [[Resident general]] of the [[Federated Malay States]], which brought the [[Malaysia|Malay]] states of [[Selangor]], Perak, [[Negeri Sembilan]] and [[Pahang]] together under the administration of a Resident-General based in [[Kuala Lumpur]]. He served from 1 July 1896 to 4 November 1901. He was also an amateur painter, photographer and antique collector.


== Early life ==
He also published four books "Malay Sketches", "Unaddressed Letters", "Also & Perhaps" and "Arabella in Africa", the latter being illustrated by the famous mural painter and illustrator, [[Rex Whistler]]. The book was Whistler's first official commission.
He was born in [[Belper]], Derbyshire, the son of attorney James Oldham Swettenham,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927200807/http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9500253 Frank Swettenham at biography.com]</ref> and Charlotte Elizabeth Carr and was educated at the [[Dollar Academy]] in Scotland and [[St Peter's School, York]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Barlow |first=Henry S. |title=Swettenham |date=1995 |publisher=Southdene |location=Kuala Lumpur |page=4}}</ref> He was a descendant of [[Mathew Swetenham]], Henry IV's bow bearer, and the younger brother of the colonial administrator Sir [[James Alexander Swettenham]].


==Career between 1871 and 1901==
==Career==
[[Image:Sir frank swettenham.gif|thumb|left|upright=1|Sir Frank Swettenham]]
[[Image:Sir frank swettenham.gif|thumb|left|upright=1|Sir Frank Swettenham]]
Swettenham was a British colonial official in [[British Malaya]], who was famous as highly influential in shaping British policy and the structure of British administration in the [[Malay Peninsula]].
Swettenham was a British colonial official in [[British Malaya]], who was famous as highly influential in shaping British policy and the structure of British administration in the [[Malay Peninsula]].
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In 1871 Swettenham was first sent to Singapore as a cadet in the civil service of the [[Straits Settlements]] (Singapore, Malacca, and Penang Island). He learned the [[Malay language]] and played a major role as British-Malay intermediary in the events surrounding British intervention in the peninsular Malay states in the 1870s.
In 1871 Swettenham was first sent to Singapore as a cadet in the civil service of the [[Straits Settlements]] (Singapore, Malacca, and Penang Island). He learned the [[Malay language]] and played a major role as British-Malay intermediary in the events surrounding British intervention in the peninsular Malay states in the 1870s.


He was a member of the Commission for the Pacification of Larut set up following the signing of the [[Pangkor Treaty of 1874]] and he served alongside [[John Frederick Adolphus McNair]], and Chinese [[Kapitan Cina|Kapitan]] [[Chung Keng Quee]] and Chin Seng Yam. The Commission was successful in freeing many women taken as captives during the Larut Wars (1862–73), getting stockades dismantled and getting the tin mining business going again.
He was a member of the [[Commission for the Pacification of Larut]] set up following the signing of the [[Pangkor Treaty of 1874]] and he served alongside [[John Frederick Adolphus McNair]], and Chinese [[Kapitan Cina|Kapitan]] [[Chung Keng Quee]] and Chin Seng Yam. The commission was successful in freeing many women taken as captives during the Larut Wars (1862–73), getting stockades dismantled and getting the [[tin mining]] business going again.


More than a decade later, in 1882, he was appointed as resident (adviser) to the Malay state of Selangor. In Selangor office, the development of coffee and tobacco estates had successfully promoted by him, while in the meantime, helped boost tin earnings by constructing a railway from Kuala Lumpur (it was capital of Selangor at that time), to the port of Klang, which was later named [[Port Swettenham]] in his honour.
More than a decade later, in 1882, he was appointed Resident (adviser) to the Malay state of Selangor. During his time in office in Selangor, he successfully promoted the development of coffee and tobacco estates and helped boost tin earnings by constructing a railway from Kuala Lumpur (it was capital of Selangor at that time), to the port of Klang, which was later named [[Port Swettenham]] in his honour.


He attended the federation, along with the title of resident-general after he secured an agreement of federation from the states of [[Perak]], Selangor, [[Negri Sembilan]], and [[Pahang]] in 1895, when he was a resident of Perak state. In 1897 he was knighted by Queen Victoria, and in October 1901, three years before his retirement, he was appointed [[Governor of the Straits Settlements|Governor]] and Commander-in-Chief of the [[Straits Settlements]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27360 |date=1 October 1901 |page=6395 }}</ref>
He acquired the title of Resident-General after he secured an agreement of federation from the states of [[Perak]], [[Selangor]], [[Negri Sembilan]], and [[Pahang]] in 1895, when he was Resident of Perak state. In the [[1897 Diamond Jubilee Honours]] he was appointed a Knight Commander of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] (KCMG) by Queen Victoria,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26864|page=3440|date=22 June 1897}}</ref> and in October 1901, three years before his retirement, he was appointed [[Governor of the Straits Settlements|Governor]] and Commander-in-Chief of the [[Straits Settlements]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27360 |date=1 October 1901 |page=6395 }}</ref>


Swettenham had long been critical of the influence of [[Siam]] in the northern Malay states of [[Kelantan]] and [[Trengganu]], which had traditionally recognised the suzerainty of Siam by sending a tribute of a [[bunga mas|golden flower]] to the [[King of Siam]] every three years. After his appointment as Governor of the Straits Settlements, he attempted to negotiate with Siam for greater British influence over the affairs of these states. Siam reluctantly agreed to appoint British advisors, but only on the condition that they were appointed by Bangkok, not by the [[Foreign Office]] as he had hoped. However, the process had been initiated whereby these two states and eventually [[Kedah]] would eventually accept British Residents. Swettenham was disappointed in his ultimate goal of bringing the southern Thai region of [[Patani]] under British control.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barlow |first=Henry S. |date=1995 |title=Swettenham |location=Kuala Lumpur |publisher=Southdene |chapter=Chapter 39 The Problem of Siam: Reality of Failure}}</ref>
Swettenham had long been critical of the influence of [[Siam]] in the northern Malay states of [[Kelantan]] and [[Trengganu]], which had traditionally recognised the suzerainty of Siam by sending a tribute of a [[bunga mas|golden flower]] to the [[King of Siam]] every three years. After his appointment as Governor of the Straits Settlements, he attempted to negotiate with Siam for greater British influence over the affairs of these states. Siam reluctantly agreed to appoint British advisors, but only on the condition that they were appointed by Bangkok, not by the [[Foreign Office]] as he had hoped. However, the process had been initiated whereby these two states and eventually [[Kedah]] would eventually accept British Residents. Swettenham was disappointed in his ultimate goal of bringing the southern Thai region of [[Pattani Province|Patani]] under British control.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barlow |first=Henry S. |date=1995 |title=Swettenham |location=Kuala Lumpur |publisher=Southdene |chapter=Chapter 39 The Problem of Siam: Reality of Failure}}</ref>

He was one of close to forty former [[British Empire]] officials to oppose the [[Malayan Union]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}

== Writings ==
Swettenham co-authored a ''A Dictionary of the Malay Language'' with [[Hugh Clifford (colonial administrator)|Hugh Clifford]]. The dictionary, which was published in stages between 1894 and 1902, was abandoned after the letter 'G' as by then it had been made redundant by the publication of [[Richard James Wilkinson|R.J. Wilkinson]]'s ''A Malay English Dictionary''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barlow |first=Henry S. |title=Swettenham |date=1995 |publisher=Southdene |location=Kuala Lumpur |page=477}}</ref>

He also published four books: ''Malay Sketches'', ''Unaddressed Letters'', ''Also & Perhaps'' and ''Arabella in Africa'', the last being illustrated by the famous mural painter and illustrator, [[Rex Whistler]]. The book was Whistler's first official commission.


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
[[File:Perak Cricket Team 1895.gif|left|thumb|Perak Cricket Team in 1895 including Swettenham (middle row, 2nd left) and Col. [[Robert Sandilands Frowd Walker]] (Middle row, centre)]]
While on home leave in England in the summer of 1877, Swettenham met and became engaged to [[Constance Sydney Holmes]] (b. 1858), daughter of Cecil Frederick Holmes, a housemaster at [[Harrow School]]. They married in England in February 1878 and returned together to Singapore, where the nineteen-year old Sydney Swettenham attempted to come to terms with her new role as the wife of a colonial official. Their marriage, which was strained from the beginning and marked by long periods of separation, lasted until 1938, when Frank Swettenham successfully sued for divorce on the grounds of his wife's insanity.<ref>{{cite book|last=Barlow|first=Henry S.|date=1995|title=Swettenham|location=Kuala Lumpur|publisher=Southdene|page=186}}</ref>
While on home leave in England in the summer of 1877, Swettenham met and became engaged to [[Constance Sydney Holmes]] (b. 1858), daughter of Cecil Frederick Holmes, a housemaster at [[Harrow School]]. They married in England in February 1878 and returned together to Singapore, where the nineteen-year old Sydney Swettenham attempted to come to terms with her new role as the wife of a colonial official. Their marriage, which was strained from the beginning and marked by long periods of separation, lasted until 1938, when Frank Swettenham successfully sued for divorce on the grounds of his wife's insanity.<ref>{{cite book|last=Barlow|first=Henry S.|date=1995|title=Swettenham|location=Kuala Lumpur|publisher=Southdene|page=186}}</ref>


Swettenham became friends with [[Gertrude Bell]] when she visited Singapore in 1903 and maintained a correspondence with her until 1909.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barlow |first=Henry S. |date=1995 |title=Swettenham |location=Kuala Lumpur |publisher=Southdene |pages=654–5}}</ref> They are thought to have had a "brief but passionate affair"after his retirement to England.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Barlow|first=Henry S.|title=Malaysia: Swettenham's Legacy|journal=Asian Affairs|volume=28|issue=3|page=333|date=1997}}</ref>
Swettenham became friends with [[Gertrude Bell]] when she visited Singapore in 1903 and maintained a correspondence with her until 1909.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barlow |first=Henry S. |date=1995 |title=Swettenham |location=Kuala Lumpur |publisher=Southdene |pages=654–5}}</ref> They are thought to have had a "brief but passionate affair" after his retirement to England.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Barlow|first=Henry S.|title=Malaysia: Swettenham's Legacy|journal=Asian Affairs|volume=28|issue=3|page=333|date=1997|doi=10.1080/714857151}}</ref>


Frank Swettenham remarried at the age of 89, this time to Vera Seton Guthrie (1890–1970) on 22 June 1939, daughter of John Gordon, a successful merchant, and widow of John Neil Guthrie, who had been killed in action in France during World War I.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barlow|first=Henry S.|date=1995|title=Swettenham|location=Kuala Lumpur|publisher=Southdene|page=721}}</ref>
Frank Swettenham remarried at the age of 89, this time to Vera Seton Guthrie (1890–1970) on 22 June 1939, daughter of John Gordon, a Scotch-American successful merchant and millionaire, and widow of John Neil Guthrie, who had been killed in action in France during [[World War I]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Barlow|first=Henry S.|date=1995|title=Swettenham|location=Kuala Lumpur|publisher=Southdene|page=721}}</ref>


While in India in 1883 preparing for the Colonial Exhibition in Calcutta, Swettenham met and had a child with an Anglo-Indian woman from Bangalore (known only as Miss Good). To avoid a scandal, the mother of Swettenham's son was married to an English clerk in the Perak civil service, Walter McKnight Young, and his son was raised as Walter Aynsley Young.<ref>{{cite book |last=Williams |first=Stephanie |date=2011 |title=Running the Show: the extraordinary stories of the men who governed the British Empire |location=London |publisher=Penguin |page=254}}</ref>
While in India in 1883 preparing for the Colonial Exhibition in Calcutta, Swettenham met and had a child with an Anglo-Indian woman from Bangalore (known only as Miss Good). To avoid a scandal, the mother of Swettenham's son was married to an English clerk in the Perak civil service, Walter McKnight Young, and his son was raised as Walter Aynsley Young.<ref>{{cite book |last=Williams |first=Stephanie |date=2011 |title=Running the Show: the extraordinary stories of the men who governed the British Empire |location=London |publisher=Penguin |page=254}}</ref>

==Honours==
[[Image:Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham, MN, 2023 (01).jpg|thumb|upright|A statue of Swettenham within the compound of [[Muzium Negara]] at [[Kuala Lumpur]], Malaysia.]]

*Companion of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]], 1886 (CMG)<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25610|page=3564|date=23 July 1886}}</ref>
*Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, 1897 (KCMG)<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26864|page=3440|date=22 June 1897}}</ref>
*Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George, 1909 (GCMG) <ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28305|page=8239|date=5 November 1909|supy}}</ref>
*[[Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour]], 1917 (CH) <ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30250|page=8799|supp=y|date=24 August 1917}}</ref>
*[[King of Arms of the Order of St Michael and St George]], 1925<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33027|page=1601|date=6 March 1925}}</ref>


==Chronology==
==Chronology==
* He was Deputy Commissioner with the [[Perak War|Perak Expedition]] from 1875 to 1876.
[[File:Perak Cricket Team 1895.gif|left|thumb|Perak Cricket Team in 1895 including Swettenham (middle row, 2nd left) and Col. [[Robert Sandilands Frowd Walker]] (Middle row, centre)]]
* [[British Resident]] of [[Selangor]] in 1882, of [[Perak]] from 1889 to 1896.
[[Image:statueFrankSwettenhamKualaLumpur.jpg|thumb|upright|A statue of Swettenham within the compound of [[Muzium Negara]] at [[Kuala Lumpur]], Malaysia.]]
* He was Deputy Commissioner with the [[Perak War|Perak Expedition]] from 1875–1876.
* [[British Resident]] of [[Selangor]] in 1882, of [[Perak]] from 1889–1896.
* Resident-General of the [[Federated Malay States]] (now [[Malaysia]]) in 1896–1901.
* Resident-General of the [[Federated Malay States]] (now [[Malaysia]]) in 1896–1901.
* Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements 1901–1904.
* Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements 1901–1904.
* Chaired the royal commission to enquire into the affairs of Mauritius in 1909.
* Chaired the royal commission to enquire into the affairs of Mauritius in 1909.
* He was also joint director of the Official Press Bureau from 1915–1919.
* He was also joint director of the Official Press Bureau from 1915 to 1919.


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
A number of places and roads in [[Malaysia]] and Singapore were named after Swettenham, including Swettenham Pier in [[George Town, Penang|George Town]], [[Penang Island]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Twentieth Century Impressions of British Malaya: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries, and Resources|publisher=Lloyd Greater Britain Publishing|page=730|date=1908|first1=Arnold|last1=Wright|first2=H. A.|last2=Cartwright}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Swettenham Pier|url=http://mypenang.gov.my/index.aspx?page=item-1725-swettenham_pier.pgt|publisher=Penang Global Tourism}}</ref> and Swettenham Road (near the [[Singapore Botanic Gardens|Botanic Gardens]]) in Singapore.
A number of places and roads in [[Malaysia]] and Singapore were named after Swettenham, including Swettenham Pier in [[George Town, Penang|George Town]], [[Penang Island]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Twentieth Century Impressions of British Malaya: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries, and Resources|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924023134368|publisher=Lloyd Greater Britain Publishing|page=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924023134368/page/n737 730]|date=1908|first1=Arnold|last1=Wright|first2=H. A.|last2=Cartwright}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Swettenham Pier|url=http://mypenang.gov.my/index.aspx?page=item-1725-swettenham_pier.pgt|publisher=Penang Global Tourism|access-date=15 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308054238/http://mypenang.gov.my/index.aspx?page=item-1725-swettenham_pier.pgt|archive-date=8 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Swettenham Road (near the [[Singapore Botanic Gardens|Botanic Gardens]]) in Singapore.


Before 1972, [[Port Klang]] in Selangor was known as Port Swettenham which was opened in September 1901.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Port Swettenham |url=https://www.roots.gov.sg/Collection-Landing/listing/1132064#:~:text=Accession%20No.&text=Port%20Swettenham%20is%20located%20in,British%20Resident,%20Sir%20Frank%20Swettenham. |access-date=2023-03-06 |website=www.roots.gov.sg}}</ref>
Before 1972, [[Port Klang]] in Selangor was known as Port Swettenham.


==Publication==
==Publications==
* Burns, P.L., and Cowan, C.D. ed. (1975), 'Sir Frank Swettenham's Malayan journals 1874–1876', Kuala Lumpur, London: Oxford University Press.
* Burns, P.L., and Cowan, C.D. ed. (1975), ''Sir Frank Swettenham's Malayan journals 1874–1876'', Kuala Lumpur, London: Oxford University Press.
* Clifford, Hugh Charles, and Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1894), 'A dictionary of the Malay language', Taiping, Perak: Printed for the author's at the Government's printing office.
* Clifford, Hugh Charles, and Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1894), ''A dictionary of the Malay language'', Taiping, Perak: Printed for the author's at the Government's printing office.
* Cowan, C.D. ed. (1952), 'Sir Frank Swettenham's Perak journals 1874–1876', 'Journal of the Malayan branch of the Royal Asiatic Society', vol.24, part 4. Singapore: Malaya Publishing House.
* Cowan, C.D. ed. (1952), "Sir Frank Swettenham's Perak journals 1874–1876", ''Journal of the Malayan branch of the Royal Asiatic Society'', vol.24, part 4. Singapore: Malaya Publishing House.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1881), 'Vocabulary of the English and Malay languages'. Singapore: printed at the Government Printing Office.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1881), ''Vocabulary of the English and Malay languages''. Singapore: printed at the Government Printing Office.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1893), 'Map to illustrate the Siamese question'. W. & A.K. Johnston Limited.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1893), ''Map to illustrate the Siamese question''. W. & A.K. Johnston Limited.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1893), 'About Perak'. Singapore: Straits Times Press.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1893), ''About Perak''. Singapore: Straits Times Press.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1895), 'Malay sketches'. London: John Lane.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1895), ''Malay sketches''. London: John Lane.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1898), 'Unaddressed letters'. London: John Lane.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1898), ''Unaddressed letters''. London: John Lane.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1899), 'The real Malay'. London: John Lane.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1899), ''The real Malay''. London: John Lane.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1907), 'British Malaya'. London: John Lane.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1907), ''British Malaya''. London: John Lane.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1910), 'Report of the Mauritius royal commission, 1909'. HMSO.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1910), ''Report of the Mauritius royal commission, 1909''. HMSO.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1912), 'Also and perhaps'. London: John Lane.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1912), ''Also and perhaps''. London: John Lane.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1925), 'Arabella in Africa'. London: John Lane.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1925), 'Arabella in Africa'. London: John Lane.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1942), 'Footprints in Malaya'. London: Hutchinson.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1942), 'Footprints in Malaya'. London: Hutchinson.
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1946 ?), 'The future of Malaya'. [S.l.]: [s.n.]
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1946 ?), 'The future of Malaya'. [S.l.]: [s.n.]
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1967), 'Stories and sketches'. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press.<ref name=Publications>{{citeweb|website=Cambridge University Library|title=Stories and sketches|url=http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/rcs_photographers/entry.php?id=439|date=10 May 2004}}</ref>
* Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1967), 'Stories and sketches'. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press.<ref name=Publications>{{cite web|website=Cambridge University Library|title=Stories and sketches|url=http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/rcs_photographers/entry.php?id=439|date=10 May 2004|access-date=1 December 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060924153218/http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/rcs_photographers/entry.php?id=439|archive-date=24 September 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{cite book|ref=harv||title=The Empire and the century|date=1905|publisher=John Murray|location=London|pages=827-834|chapter=[[s:The Empire and the century/The Straits Settlements and Beyond|The Straits Settlements and Beyond]]}}
* {{cite book|title=The Empire and the century|date=1905|publisher=John Murray|location=London|pages=827–834|chapter=[[s:The Empire and the century/The Straits Settlements and Beyond|The Straits Settlements and Beyond]]}}


==See also==
==References==
[[s:Corresp: Actions of Perak Expeditionary Force post-murder of Birch|Corresp: Actions of Perak Expeditionary Force post-murder of Birch]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* [[s:Corresp: Actions of Perak Expeditionary Force post-murder of Birch|Corresp: Actions of Perak Expeditionary Force post-murder of Birch]]


==External links==
==External links==
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060305042726/http://www.carcosa.com.my/history/ Carcosa Seri Negara]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060305042726/http://www.carcosa.com.my/history/ Carcosa Seri Negara]
* [http://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/seasia/xstraits.html Straits Settlements]
* [http://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/seasia/xstraits.html Straits Settlements]
* [https://www.customframescanada.ca/blogs/news/artist-john-sargents-strong-interest-in-framing Portrait of Sir Frank Swettenham by John Singer Sargent]


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{{s-ttl|title=British Resident of Selangor|years=1882–1884}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[List of British Residents of Perak|British Resident of Perak]]|years=1889–1896}}
{{s-aft|after=[[William Hood Treacher]]}}
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{{s-ttl|title= [[Federated Malay States#Resident-General|Resident-General of the Federated Malay States]]|years=1896–1901}}
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{{s-aft| after=[[William Hood Treacher]]}}
| title=Resident-General of the [[Federated Malay States]] | years=1896–1901
| after=[[William Hood Treacher]]
}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[James Alexander Swettenham]] (acting)}}
{{succession box
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Governors of Singapore|Governor of the Straits Settlements]]|years=1901–1904}}
| before=[[James Alexander Swettenham]] (acting)
{{s-aft|after=Sir [[John Anderson (colonial administrator)|John Anderson]]}}
| title=[[List of Governors of Singapore|Governor of the Straits Settlements]] | years=1901–1904
| after=Sir [[John Anderson (colonial administrator)|John Anderson]]
}}
{{s-herald}}
{{s-herald}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Arms of the Order of St Michael and St George|King of Arms of the<br />Order of St Michael and St George]]|years=1925–1938}}
{{s-aft|after=[[William Weigall|Sir William Weigall]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[William Weigall|Sir William Weigall]]}}
{{end}}
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{{Governors of Singapore}}
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{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Swettenham, Frank}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swettenham, Frank}}
[[Category: People educated at St Peter's School, York]]

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[[Category:Administrators in British Malaya]]

Latest revision as of 17:16, 3 May 2024

Sir Frank Swettenham
GCMG CH
Oil painting of Swettenham by John Singer Sargent
King of Arms of the Order of St Michael and St George
In office
1925–1938
Preceded bySir Montagu Ommanney
Succeeded bySir William Weigall
MajorityBritish
15th Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements
In office
5 November 1901 – 16 April 1904
MonarchsQueen Victoria
Edward VII
Preceded byJames Alexander Swettenham (acting Governor)
Succeeded bySir John Anderson
Resident-General of the Federated Malay States
In office
1 July 1896 – 4 November 1901
Preceded byNewly Created
Succeeded byWilliam Hood Treacher
5th British Resident of Perak
In office
1 June 1889 – 30 June 1896
Preceded byHugh Low
Succeeded byWilliam Hood Treacher
3rd British Resident of Selangor
In office
September 1882 – March 1884
Preceded byWilliam Bloomfield Douglas
Succeeded byJohn Pickersgill Rodger
2nd British Resident of Perak
In office
5 November 1875 – March 1876
Preceded byJames W.W. Birch
Succeeded byJames G. Davidson
Personal details
Born(1850-03-28)28 March 1850
Belper, England
Died11 June 1946(1946-06-11) (aged 96)
London, UK
Spouses
Constance Sydney Holmes (a.k.a. Sydney Swettenham)
​
​
(m. 1878; div. 1938)​
Vera Seton Guthrie
​
​
(m. 1939⁠–⁠1946)​
Residence(s)King's House, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
OccupationColonial official

Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham GCMG CH (28 March 1850 – 11 June 1946) was a British colonial administrator who became the first Resident general of the Federated Malay States, which brought the Malay states of Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang together under the administration of a Resident-General based in Kuala Lumpur. He served from 1 July 1896 to 4 November 1901. He was also an amateur painter, photographer and antique collector.

Early life

[edit]

He was born in Belper, Derbyshire, the son of attorney James Oldham Swettenham,[1] and Charlotte Elizabeth Carr and was educated at the Dollar Academy in Scotland and St Peter's School, York.[2] He was a descendant of Mathew Swetenham, Henry IV's bow bearer, and the younger brother of the colonial administrator Sir James Alexander Swettenham.

Career

[edit]
Sir Frank Swettenham

Swettenham was a British colonial official in British Malaya, who was famous as highly influential in shaping British policy and the structure of British administration in the Malay Peninsula.

In 1871 Swettenham was first sent to Singapore as a cadet in the civil service of the Straits Settlements (Singapore, Malacca, and Penang Island). He learned the Malay language and played a major role as British-Malay intermediary in the events surrounding British intervention in the peninsular Malay states in the 1870s.

He was a member of the Commission for the Pacification of Larut set up following the signing of the Pangkor Treaty of 1874 and he served alongside John Frederick Adolphus McNair, and Chinese Kapitan Chung Keng Quee and Chin Seng Yam. The commission was successful in freeing many women taken as captives during the Larut Wars (1862–73), getting stockades dismantled and getting the tin mining business going again.

More than a decade later, in 1882, he was appointed Resident (adviser) to the Malay state of Selangor. During his time in office in Selangor, he successfully promoted the development of coffee and tobacco estates and helped boost tin earnings by constructing a railway from Kuala Lumpur (it was capital of Selangor at that time), to the port of Klang, which was later named Port Swettenham in his honour.

He acquired the title of Resident-General after he secured an agreement of federation from the states of Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, and Pahang in 1895, when he was Resident of Perak state. In the 1897 Diamond Jubilee Honours he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) by Queen Victoria,[3] and in October 1901, three years before his retirement, he was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements.[4]

Swettenham had long been critical of the influence of Siam in the northern Malay states of Kelantan and Trengganu, which had traditionally recognised the suzerainty of Siam by sending a tribute of a golden flower to the King of Siam every three years. After his appointment as Governor of the Straits Settlements, he attempted to negotiate with Siam for greater British influence over the affairs of these states. Siam reluctantly agreed to appoint British advisors, but only on the condition that they were appointed by Bangkok, not by the Foreign Office as he had hoped. However, the process had been initiated whereby these two states and eventually Kedah would eventually accept British Residents. Swettenham was disappointed in his ultimate goal of bringing the southern Thai region of Patani under British control.[5]

He was one of close to forty former British Empire officials to oppose the Malayan Union.[citation needed]

Writings

[edit]

Swettenham co-authored a A Dictionary of the Malay Language with Hugh Clifford. The dictionary, which was published in stages between 1894 and 1902, was abandoned after the letter 'G' as by then it had been made redundant by the publication of R.J. Wilkinson's A Malay English Dictionary.[6]

He also published four books: Malay Sketches, Unaddressed Letters, Also & Perhaps and Arabella in Africa, the last being illustrated by the famous mural painter and illustrator, Rex Whistler. The book was Whistler's first official commission.

Personal life

[edit]
Perak Cricket Team in 1895 including Swettenham (middle row, 2nd left) and Col. Robert Sandilands Frowd Walker (Middle row, centre)

While on home leave in England in the summer of 1877, Swettenham met and became engaged to Constance Sydney Holmes (b. 1858), daughter of Cecil Frederick Holmes, a housemaster at Harrow School. They married in England in February 1878 and returned together to Singapore, where the nineteen-year old Sydney Swettenham attempted to come to terms with her new role as the wife of a colonial official. Their marriage, which was strained from the beginning and marked by long periods of separation, lasted until 1938, when Frank Swettenham successfully sued for divorce on the grounds of his wife's insanity.[7]

Swettenham became friends with Gertrude Bell when she visited Singapore in 1903 and maintained a correspondence with her until 1909.[8] They are thought to have had a "brief but passionate affair" after his retirement to England.[9]

Frank Swettenham remarried at the age of 89, this time to Vera Seton Guthrie (1890–1970) on 22 June 1939, daughter of John Gordon, a Scotch-American successful merchant and millionaire, and widow of John Neil Guthrie, who had been killed in action in France during World War I.[10]

While in India in 1883 preparing for the Colonial Exhibition in Calcutta, Swettenham met and had a child with an Anglo-Indian woman from Bangalore (known only as Miss Good). To avoid a scandal, the mother of Swettenham's son was married to an English clerk in the Perak civil service, Walter McKnight Young, and his son was raised as Walter Aynsley Young.[11]

Honours

[edit]
A statue of Swettenham within the compound of Muzium Negara at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Chronology

[edit]
  • He was Deputy Commissioner with the Perak Expedition from 1875 to 1876.
  • British Resident of Selangor in 1882, of Perak from 1889 to 1896.
  • Resident-General of the Federated Malay States (now Malaysia) in 1896–1901.
  • Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements 1901–1904.
  • Chaired the royal commission to enquire into the affairs of Mauritius in 1909.
  • He was also joint director of the Official Press Bureau from 1915 to 1919.

Legacy

[edit]

A number of places and roads in Malaysia and Singapore were named after Swettenham, including Swettenham Pier in George Town, Penang Island[17][18] and Swettenham Road (near the Botanic Gardens) in Singapore.

Before 1972, Port Klang in Selangor was known as Port Swettenham which was opened in September 1901.[19]

Publications

[edit]
  • Burns, P.L., and Cowan, C.D. ed. (1975), Sir Frank Swettenham's Malayan journals 1874–1876, Kuala Lumpur, London: Oxford University Press.
  • Clifford, Hugh Charles, and Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1894), A dictionary of the Malay language, Taiping, Perak: Printed for the author's at the Government's printing office.
  • Cowan, C.D. ed. (1952), "Sir Frank Swettenham's Perak journals 1874–1876", Journal of the Malayan branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, vol.24, part 4. Singapore: Malaya Publishing House.
  • Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1881), Vocabulary of the English and Malay languages. Singapore: printed at the Government Printing Office.
  • Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1893), Map to illustrate the Siamese question. W. & A.K. Johnston Limited.
  • Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1893), About Perak. Singapore: Straits Times Press.
  • Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1895), Malay sketches. London: John Lane.
  • Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1898), Unaddressed letters. London: John Lane.
  • Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1899), The real Malay. London: John Lane.
  • Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1907), British Malaya. London: John Lane.
  • Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1910), Report of the Mauritius royal commission, 1909. HMSO.
  • Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1912), Also and perhaps. London: John Lane.
  • Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1925), 'Arabella in Africa'. London: John Lane.
  • Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1942), 'Footprints in Malaya'. London: Hutchinson.
  • Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1946 ?), 'The future of Malaya'. [S.l.]: [s.n.]
  • Swettenham, Frank Athelstane (1967), 'Stories and sketches'. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press.[20]
  • "The Straits Settlements and Beyond" . The Empire and the century. London: John Murray. 1905. pp. 827–834.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Frank Swettenham at biography.com
  2. ^ Barlow, Henry S. (1995). Swettenham. Kuala Lumpur: Southdene. p. 4.
  3. ^ "No. 26864". The London Gazette. 22 June 1897. p. 3440.
  4. ^ "No. 27360". The London Gazette. 1 October 1901. p. 6395.
  5. ^ Barlow, Henry S. (1995). "Chapter 39 The Problem of Siam: Reality of Failure". Swettenham. Kuala Lumpur: Southdene.
  6. ^ Barlow, Henry S. (1995). Swettenham. Kuala Lumpur: Southdene. p. 477.
  7. ^ Barlow, Henry S. (1995). Swettenham. Kuala Lumpur: Southdene. p. 186.
  8. ^ Barlow, Henry S. (1995). Swettenham. Kuala Lumpur: Southdene. pp. 654–5.
  9. ^ Barlow, Henry S. (1997). "Malaysia: Swettenham's Legacy". Asian Affairs. 28 (3): 333. doi:10.1080/714857151.
  10. ^ Barlow, Henry S. (1995). Swettenham. Kuala Lumpur: Southdene. p. 721.
  11. ^ Williams, Stephanie (2011). Running the Show: the extraordinary stories of the men who governed the British Empire. London: Penguin. p. 254.
  12. ^ "No. 25610". The London Gazette. 23 July 1886. p. 3564.
  13. ^ "No. 26864". The London Gazette. 22 June 1897. p. 3440.
  14. ^ "No. 28305". The London Gazette. 5 November 1909. p. 8239.
  15. ^ "No. 30250". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 August 1917. p. 8799.
  16. ^ "No. 33027". The London Gazette. 6 March 1925. p. 1601.
  17. ^ Wright, Arnold; Cartwright, H. A. (1908). Twentieth Century Impressions of British Malaya: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries, and Resources. Lloyd Greater Britain Publishing. p. 730.
  18. ^ "Swettenham Pier". Penang Global Tourism. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  19. ^ "Port Swettenham". www.roots.gov.sg. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  20. ^ "Stories and sketches". Cambridge University Library. 10 May 2004. Archived from the original on 24 September 2006. Retrieved 1 December 2006.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Wikisource has original works by or about:
Frank Swettenham
Political offices
Preceded by British Resident of Perak
1875–1876 		Succeeded by
James G. Davidson
Preceded by British Resident of Selangor
1882–1884 		Succeeded by
Preceded by British Resident of Perak
1889–1896 		Succeeded by
New title Resident-General of the Federated Malay States
1896–1901 		Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by Governor of the Straits Settlements
1901–1904 		Succeeded by
Heraldic offices
Preceded by King of Arms of the
Order of St Michael and St George
1925–1938 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frank_Swettenham&oldid=1222062854"