Francis James Bernard

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Francis James Bernard
1st
In office
1820–1826
MonarchGeorge III (1760–1820)
George IV (1820–1830)
Succeeded byJohn Prince
Personal details
Born(1796-07-06)July 6, 1796
London, England
Died19 December 1843(1843-12-19) (aged 47)
Jakarta, Indonesia
NationalityScottish
Spouse(s)
Esther Farquhar
​
​
(m. 1796⁠–⁠1838)​
RelationsJustin Trudeau (4th-great grandson) [1]
Children
  • Alfred George Farquhar Bernard (son)
Relatives
ProfessionPolice Chief

Francis James Bernard (6 July 1796 – 19 Dec 1843) was the founder and first police chief of the Singapore Police Force and the founder of the Singapore Chronicle.

Established in 1820, Bernard led the first police force in Singapore under the direction of his father-in-law William Farquhar and Stamford Raffles.[2] Bernard had no previous experience, and the police force, which consisted of just 12 men, had limited resources. He worked out of his own residence while the first police office was being built.[3][4]

Bernard was appointed as the first Master Attendant when Singapore became a trading port in 1819. In addition to advising the governor on nautical matters, he was responsible for the control of shipping lying in the roadstead. The Master Attendant designation was renamed Director of Marine in 1964.[5]

Bernard founded the Singapore Chronicle newspaper in 1824.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ Bah, Tan Bah. "Justin Trudeau's serendipitous links to Singapore". Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  2. ^ Wright, Nadia (December 2016). "The Career of Francis James Bernard: Nepotism and Patronage in Early Singapore". Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 89 (2): 25–44. doi:10.1353/ras.2016.0023. S2CID 159481028.
  3. ^ "Singapore Police Force". Singapore Police Force.
  4. ^ "Mata.Mata: History of The Singapore Police". Remember Singapore.
  5. ^ Gibson-Hill, C. A. (1960). "The Master Attendants at Singapore, 1819 – 67". Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 33 (1 (189)): 64. JSTOR 41505484. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  6. ^ Gibson-Hill, C. A. (1969). "The Singapore Chronicle (1824-37)". Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 42 (1 (215)): 166–191. JSTOR 41491982. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
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