David Marshall (Singaporean politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Marshall
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| Chief Minister of Singapore | |
| In office 6 April 1955 – 7 June 1956 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor | John Fearns Nicoll Robert Black William Goode |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Lim Yew Hock |
| Chairman of the Workers' Party | |
| In office 1957–1963 |
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| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Chiang Seok Keong (acting) |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly for Anson |
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| In office 15 July 1961 – 3 September 1963 |
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| Preceded by | Mohammed Baharuddin Ariff |
| Succeeded by | Govindaswamy Perumal |
| Member of Legislative Assembly for Cairnhill |
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| In office 2 April 1955 – 29 April 1957 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Soh Ghee Soon |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
David Saul Mashal
12 March 1908 Singapore, Straits Settlements |
| Died | 12 December 1995 (aged 87) Singapore |
| Political party | Independent (1963–1995) |
| Other political affiliations |
Labour Front (1954–1957) Worker's Party (1957–1963) |
| Spouse |
Jean Mary Gray
(m. 1961) |
| Children | 4 |
| Parents | Saul Nassim Marshall (father) Flora Ezekiel Marshall (mother) |
| Alma mater | University of London |
| Profession |
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David Saul Marshall (12 March 1908 – 12 December 1995), born David Saul Mashal, was a Singaporean politician who served as Chief Minister of Singapore from 1955 until his resignation in 1956. Marshall forged the idea of complete home rule of Singapore which eventually gained its independence in 1965.
He was born in Singapore on 12 March 1908, to Sephardi Jewish parents Saul Nassim Mashal and Flora Ezekiel Kahn, who had immigrated to Singapore from Baghdad. His family name was originally Mashal, which was later anglicised as Marshall in 1920. He had at least six siblings. Marshall received a strict Orthodox Jewish upbringing.
Marshall attended Saint Joseph's Institution, Saint Andrew's School and Raffles Institution before graduating from the University of London, where he read law.
In 1938, following the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, Marshall volunteered for military service with a British reserve unit, the Straits Settlements Volunteer Force. In February 1942, he saw action against the Imperial Japanese Army, in the Holland Road area, during the last few days of the Battle of Singapore. Marshall became a prisoner-of-war (POW) following the British surrender. He was initially interned in Changi Prison before being sent to a forced labour camp in Japan.
Most of Marshall's immediate family had emigrated to Australia before the war began. After the war ended Marshall spent time with his family in Australia, before returning to Singapore in 1946. He became a successful and prominent criminal lawyer.
Marshall married Jean Mary Gray in 1961. Jean was born on 13 April 1926 in Kent, South East England, she came to Malaya in 1953 to take up a post with the Red Cross as a medical social worker. They had four children and six grandchildren.
In 1978, Marshall became a diplomat and was Singapore's Ambassador to various countries, including France, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland. During this time, Marshall defended Singapore's interests abroad and publicly maintained constructive criticism of some domestic policies that he had disagreed with.
Marshall retired in 1993, and died two years later of lung cancer in 1995, at the age of 87.
See also
In Spanish: David Saul Marshall para niños
