George Maxwell (colonial administrator)

Sir George Maxwell KBE CMG
Chief Secretary to the Government of the FMS
In office 1920–1926
Preceded by	Sir Edward Lewis Brockman
Succeeded by	Sir William Peel
British Resident of Perak
In office 1919–1920
Preceded by	Sir Reginald George Watson
Succeeded by	Sir William James Parke Hume
British Adviser for Kedah
In office 1909–1915
Preceded by	none, post created
Succeeded by	Littleton Edward Pipe-Wolferstan
In office 1918–1919
Preceded by	G.A. Hall
Succeeded by	Malcolm Stewart Hannibal McArthur
Personal details
Born	9 June 1871 Malacca, Straits Settlements
Died	22 August 1959(1959-08-22) (aged 88) Shoreham, Sussex, England
Spouse	Lady Evelyn Maxwell ​ (m. 1902)​
Parents	Sir William Edward Maxwell (father) Lilias Grant Mackay (mother)

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

Biography

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

George Maxwell entered the service of Perak's 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 Treaty, 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).

He served as one of the seven members of the Advisory Committee of Experts on Slavery of the League of Nations from 1934 to 1939.

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

Maxwell Hill in Taiping, Perak 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 and Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1924.

Sources and references

• WorldStatesmen – Malaysia
• Maxwell family tree