Sir George Maxwell
KBE CMG
Chief Secretary to the Government of the FMS
In office
1920–1926
Preceded bySir Edward Lewis Brockman
Succeeded bySir William Peel
British Resident of Perak
In office
1919–1920
Preceded bySir Reginald George Watson
Succeeded bySir William James Parke Hume
British Adviser for Kedah
In office
1909–1915
Preceded bynone, post created
Succeeded byLittleton Edward Pipe-Wolferstan
In office
1918–1919
Preceded byG.A. Hall
Succeeded byMalcolm Stewart Hannibal McArthur
Personal details
Born9 June 1871
Malacca, Straits Settlements
Died22 August 1959(1959-08-22) (aged 88)
Shoreham, Sussex, England
Spouse
Lady Evelyn Maxwell
​
(m. 1902)​
Parents

Sir William George Maxwell KBE CMG (9 June 1871 – 22 August 1959) was a British colonial administrator in British Malaya and the Straits Settlements.[1]

Biography

He was the eldest son of Sir William Edward Maxwell and Lilias Grant Mackay.

Sir George entered the service of the Perak Government as a junior officer in 1891. He then progressed to Assistant District Magistrate and Registrar of Courts in Kinta Valley (Perak). He was also the Assistant Secretary to the Government of Perak, Acting Collector of Land Revenue in Larut, Registrar of Titles and Warden of Mines in Northern Perak and Acting Senior Magistrate for Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, and Perak. In 1904, he was transferred to the Civil Service of Straits Settlements and was Acting Commissioner of the Court of Requests in Singapore.

He was posted as the District Officer of Dinding, Perak, Solicitor General (1906). On 9 July 1909 the Bangkok Agreement, which was ratified by the British and Siamese, made Kedah part of the British Empire and he was then appointed British Adviser to Kedah (1909–1915) and (1918–1919). He was also the British Resident of Perak (1919–1920) and Chief Secretary of Federated Malay States (1920–1926).

Marriage

Sir William George Maxwell married his cousin Florence Evelyn daughter of Walter F Stevenson on 28 August 1902 in St. Mary's Church, Hendon, Middlesex.

Contributions and honours

To remember his contributions in Perak, Maxwell Hill in Taiping was named after him.

On 29 November 1929, he opened the Sultan Idris Training College in Perak and making it the highest institution of learning exclusively for the Malays at that time. To remember his contributions in education SMK Maxwell (Maxwell School) in Kuala Lumpur was named after him.

He was invested with Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1915[2] and Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1924.[3]

Sources and references

  1. ^ OxfordDNB: Entry for Maxwell, Sir (William) George. Retrieved 9 January 2014
  2. ^ "No. 29180". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 June 1915. p. 5328.
  3. ^ "No. 32941". The London Gazette. 30 May 1924. p. 4418.
Political offices New title British Adviser for Kedah 1909–1915 Succeeded byLittleton Edward Pipe-Wolferstan Preceded byG A Hall British Adviser for Kedah 1918–1919 Succeeded byMalcolm S H McArthur Preceded bySir R G Watson British Resident of Perak 1919–1920 Succeeded bySir William J P Hume Government offices Preceded bySir E L Brockman Chief Secretary to the Government of the FMS 1920–1926 Succeeded bySir William Peel
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