Sir George Edward Noel Oehlers (1 April 1908 – 27 October 1968) was a Singaporean politician and lawyer who served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Singapore between 1955 and 1963.

Early life and education

George Edward Noel Oehlers was born to George Rae Oehlers and his wife Frances Maude Oehlers. He was educated at St Andrew's School and

Raffles Institution Raffles Institution (RI) is an independent educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1823, it is the oldest school in the country. It provides secondary education for boys only from Year 1 to Year 4, and pre-university education for both ...

Career

In 1928, Oehlers was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

and practised as a barrister in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

for three years. Upon returning to Singapore, Oehlers became City Councillor in 1933, serving until 1941; he returned to the City Council in 1947, but left ahead of his appointment as Speaker of the

Legislative Assembly of Singapore The Legislative Assembly of the State of Singapore was the legislature of the Government of Singapore from 1955 to 1965 and is the predecessor of the Parliament of Singapore. The Rendel Constitution, proposed in 1953, sought to give the local ...

on 1 April 1955 . He left that post in September 1963 to chair the Public Utilities Board. From 1963 to 1964, he was also Speaker for the Sabah Legislative Assembly and helped to set up the Sabah Legislative Assembly. From 1965, he was Chairman of Singapore's Industrial Arbitration Tribunal, and from June 1965 to his death, he was President of the Industrial Court of Malaysia.

Personal life

Oehlers married Daphne Eleanor Pye on 20 April 1940. They had five children together: Jillian, Lynnette, Harry, John, and Catharine. Daphne Eleanor Pye died on 15 April 1960, and Oehlers remarried in July 1965 to Annie (Nan) Tessensohn née Flynn, a widow. His daughter, Jillian was murdered by her husband Henry Scully, along with their two children, who also killed himself when the family was poisoned by gas inhalation in their apartment.

Death

Oehlers died in Kuala Lumpur on 27 October 1968 and was buried in

Bidadari Cemetery Bidadari Cemetery ( Malay: ''Perkuburan Bidadari'', Chinese: 比达达利坟场) is a defunct cemetery in Singapore. It used to serve the Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Sinhalese communities, and accepted burials between 1907 and 1972. The site ...

, Singapore.

Honours

Oehlers was made an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE) in 1953, and

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

in 1958 for his public service in Singapore.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oehlers, George 1908 births 1968 deaths Knights Bachelor Officers of the Order of the British Empire Speakers of the Parliament of Singapore Speakers of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly