K. M. Byrne

Kenneth Michael Byrne (13 May 1913 – 14 May 1990) was a Singaporean politician, diplomat and lawyer who served as Minister for Health between 1961 and 1963, Minister for Labour between 1959 and 1961 and Minister for Law between 1959 and 1963.

K. M. Byrne
Minister for Health
In office
24 September 1961 – 18 October 1963
Preceded byAhmad Ibrahim
Succeeded byYong Nyuk Lin
Minister for Labour
In office
5 June 1959 – 24 September 1961
Preceded byLim Yew Hock
Succeeded byAhmad Ibrahim
Minister for Law
In office
5 June 1959 – 18 October 1963
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byEdmund W. Barker
Member of Parliament
for Crawford SMC
In office
30 May 1959 – 3 September 1963
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byS.T. Bani
Personal details
Born
Kenneth Michael Byrne

13 May 1913
Singapore, Straits Settlements, British Malaya
Died14 May 1990(1990-05-14) (aged 77)
Singapore
Cause of deathHeart attack
Spouse
Elaine Margaret Marcus
​
​
(m. 1939)​
ChildrenWalter James (son)
Melanie Mary (daughter)
Alma materSt. Joseph's Institution
Raffles College
Occupation
  • Politician
  • diplomat
  • lawyer

Early life and education

Byrne was born in Singapore on 13 May 1913. His parents, John and Lizzy Byrne, were both born in Singapore and he was the second child.[1]

He spent part of childhood in Penang due to his father's work and attended St. Xavier's Institution. The family returned to Singapore at the end of 1926. He continued his education at St. Joseph's Institution and Raffles Institution before enrolling into Raffles College (a forerunner of the National University of Singapore) in 1933 and graduating in 1936 with a Diploma in Arts with Class One honours.[2][3]

Career

Colonial Civil Service

Byrne joined the service in 1938 and was assigned to the Colonial Administrative Service in 1946.[2]

Byrne was appointed as the magistrate of the Fourth Police Court to replace R. E. Turnbull in 1939.[4]

Byrne was called to the bar in London in 1950.[5]

In 1953, Byrne was transferred to the Marine Department which was later brought under the Department of Commerce and Industry.

He was later appointed as Assistant Secretary of Marine Department, and Principal Assistant Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Industry Ministry.[2]

Byrne was Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in 1957[6] and left the government post in 1958 to join politics.[7]

Political career

During the 1959 general election, Byrne won the election and was elected as the Member of Parliament for Crawford[8] and was appointed as Minister for Labour and Minister for Law.[9]

Byrne introduced the Industrial Relations Act and the Employment Act in Singapore, which ensured that workers in Singapore were not exploited by foreign investment companies in Singapore.[10] He also presented the Women's Charter to Parliament in 1961 to protect and advance the rights of women and girls in Singapore.[11]

Byrne relinquished his portfolio as Minister for Labour but kept his portfolio as Minister for Law and was appointed as Minister for Health in 1961.[12]

Post political career

Following Byrne's loss in the 1963 general election, he entered civil service and was appointed as Chairman of the Central Provident Fund[13] and Chairman of the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board.[14]

Byrne was appointed as Singapore's High Commissioner to New Zealand in 1966.[15] In 1973, he was concurrently Singapore's High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Iran, Nepal and Sri Lanka.[16][17]

He went on to become a lawyer, setting up a private practice in Singapore until his death in 1990.[10][18]

Personal life

Byrne married Elaine Margaret Marcus on 5 August 1939.[19] They have two children, Walter James and Melanie Mary.[18]

References
  1. "Byrne, the champion of workers and women". The Straits Times. 19 May 1990. p. 29.
  2. "Local men take over 9 top jobs". The Straits Times. 6 March 1957. p. 1. Scroll to Went to Britain
  3. "RAFFLES COLLEGE RESULTS". The Straits Times. 24 March 1936. p. 12.
  4. "Fourth Court Changes". Malaya Tribune. 4 October 1939. p. 7.
  5. "Called to Bar". The Straits Times. 1 July 1950. p. 8.
  6. "Move -up- one ministry promotions in air". The Straits Times. 7 March 1957. p. 9.
  7. "MAN FOR BYRNE JOB NAMED". The Straits Times. 28 August 1958. p. 1.
  8. "THE RESULTS: ALL YOU". The Straits Times. 31 May 1959. p. 4.
  9. "'Best wishes'—from Goode". The Straits Times. 6 June 1959. p. 14.
  10. "9 Ministers Who Defined The First Cabinet Of Singapore". msnews. 14 July 2015. Archived from the original on 14 July 2019. Scroll to 5. Kenneth Michael Byrne
  11. Leong, Wai Kum (2008). "FIFTY YEARS AND MORE OF THE WOMEN'S CHARTER OF SINGAPORE" (PDF). Singapore Journal of Legal Studies. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  12. "A PLEDGE TO PAP". The Straits Times. 24 September 1961. p. 1.
  13. "Singapore's New Team". The Straits Times. 18 October 1963. p. 10.
  14. "Dr. Goh to address tourist body". The Straits Times. 18 January 1964. p. 13.
  15. "Envoy Byrne in Wellington". The Straits Times. 20 August 1966. p. 8.
  16. "BYRNE ALL SET FOR 'HIGH TEMPO' MISSION". The Straits Times. 14 July 1973. p. 8.
  17. "Byrne is envoy to Iran, too". The Straits Times. 7 October 1973. p. 5.
  18. "Former minister dies". New Paper. 15 May 1990. p. 2.
  19. "Byrne—Marcus". The Straits Times. 6 August 1939. p. 7.
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