1st Legislative Assembly of Singapore
# 1st Legislative Assembly of Singapore

The 1st Legislative Assembly of Singapore was a meeting of the Legislative Assembly of Singapore from 22 April 1955 until 31 March 1959.

## Officeholders

* Speaker: Sir George Oehlers
   * Deputy Speaker: Richard Lim Chuan Hoe (LF, later MCA)
* Chief Secretary:
   * William Allmond Codrington Goode (IND) until 9 December 1957
   * Edgeworth Beresford David (IND) from 29 January 1958
* Chief Minister:
   * David Marshall (LF) until 7 June 1956
   * Lim Yew Hock (LF, later SPA) from 7 June 1956
* Attorney General:
   * John Davies (IND) until 5 September 1955
   * Charles Harris Butterfield (IND) from 6 September 1955 until 1 July 1957
   * Ernest Pattison Shanks, (IND) from 2 July 1957
* Financial Secretary:
   * Thomas Hart (IND)
* Leader of the Opposition: Lee Kuan Yew (PAP)

## Composition

| Party | Party | Members | Members |
| - | - | - | - |
| Party | Party | At election | At dissolution |
| | Labour Front | 10 | 0 |
| | Progressive Party | 4 | 0 |
| | People's Action Party | 3 | 4 |
| | Democratic Party | 2 | 0 |
| | Malayan Chinese Association | 1 | 1 |
| | United Malays National Organisation | 1 | 2 |
| | Malay Union | 1 | 0 |
| | Singapore People's Alliance | 0 | 11 |
| | Liberal Socialist Party | 0 | 3 |
| | Citizens' Party | 0 | 1 |
| | Independent | 3 | 2 |
| Ex-officio members | Ex-officio members | 3 | 3 |
| Nominated members | Nominated members | 4 | 4 |
| Vacant seats | Vacant seats | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 32 | 31 |
| Government majority | Government majority | -5 | -3 |

## Members

### Elected members

| Constituency | Member | Party |
| - | - | - |
| Bukit Panjang | Goh Tong Liang | Progressive Party |
| Bukit Timah | Lim Chin Siong | People's Action Party |
| Cairnhill | David Marshall | Labour Front |
| Changi | Lim Cher Kheng | Democratic Party |
| Farrer Park | Anthony Rebeiro Lazarous | Labour Front |
| Geylang | Mak Pak Shee | Labour Front |
| Havelock | Lim Yew Hock | Labour Front |
| Kampong Kapor | Seah Peng Chuan | Labour Front |
| Katong | Armand Joseph Braga | Labour Front |
| Pasir Panjang | Wong Foo Nam | Malayan Chinese Association |
| Paya Lebar | Lim Koon Teck | Progressive Party |
| Punggol–Tampines | Goh Chew Chua | People's Action Party |
| Queenstown | Lee Choon Eng | Labour Front |
| Rochore | Tan Theng Chiang | Labour Front |
| Sembawang | Ahmad Ibrahim | Independent |
| Seletar | Madai Puthan Damodaran Nair | Independent |
| Serangoon | Lim Choon Mong | Progressive Party |
| Southern Islands | Mohamed Sidik bin Abdul Hamid | Malay Union |
| Stamford | Jumabhoy Mohamed Jumabhoy | Labour Front |
| Tanglin | John Anthony Moore Ede | Progressive Party |
| Tanjong Pagar | Lee Kuan Yew | People's Action Party |
| Telok Ayer | Rajabali Jumabhoy | Independent |
| Tiong Bahru | William Tan Ah Lek | Democratic Party |
| Ulu Bedok | Abdul Hamid Jumat | United Malays National Organisation |
| Whampoa | Chew Swee Kee | Labour Front |

### Ex-officio members

| Ex-officio member | Position |
| - | - |
| William Allmond Codrington Goode | Chief Secretary, Singapore |
| John Davies | Attorney-General of Singapore |
| Thomas Hart | Financial Secretary |

### Nominated members

| Member | Party |
| - | - |
| Francis Thomas | Labour Front |
| Richard Chuan Hoe Lim | Labour Front |
| George Alexander Phimister Sutherland | Independent |
| Ong Piah Teng | Independent |

## Changes in members

### By-elections

| Constituency | Incumbent | Incumbent | Incumbent | Incumbent | Incumbent | Date of by-election | Winner | Winner | Winner |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Constituency | Name | Party | Party | Date seat vacated | Cause of vacancy | Date of by-election | Name | Party | Party |
| Tanjong Pagar | Lee Kuan Yew | | PAP | 27 April 1957 | Resignation | 29 June 1957 | Lee Kuan Yew | | PAP |
| Cairnhill | David Marshall | | Independent | 29 April 1957 | Resignation | 29 June 1957 | Soh Ghee Soon | | LSP |

### Appointments

| Constituency | Member | Political party | Political party | Date appointed |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Nominated | J. M. Mason | | Independent | 8 July 1958 |
| Nominated | Sir Ewen Fergusson | | Independent | 12 January 1959 |

### Vacant seats

| Constituency | Member | Party | Date seat vacated | Cause of vacancy |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Nominated | Ong Piah Teng | Independent | 1 January 1958 | Death |
| Nominated | George Alexander Phimister Sutherland | Independent | 13 June 1958 | Resignation |
| Nominated | J. M. Mason | Independent | 15 December 1958 | Resignation |
| Whampoa | Chew Swee Kee | SPA | 3 March 1959 | Resignation |

### Changes in party affiliation

| Member | Constituency | Date | Former party | New party | Reason |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| John Anthony Moore Ede | Tanglin | 5 February 1956 | PP | LSP | Progressive Party and Democratic Party merged. |
| Goh Tong Liang | Bukit Panjang | 5 February 1956 | PP | LSP | Progressive Party and Democratic Party merged. |
| Goh Tong Liang | Bukit Panjang | 3 December 1958 | LSP | SPA | Joined Singapore People's Alliance. |
| Lim Cher Kheng | Changi | 5 February 1956 | DP | LSP | Progressive Party and Democratic Party merged. |
| Lim Cher Kheng | Changi | 6 June 1956 | LSP | Independent | Resigned. |
| Lim Choon Mong | Serangoon | 5 February 1956 | PP | LSP | Progressive Party and Democratic Party merged. |
| Lim Choon Mong | Serangoon | 3 December 1958 | LSP | SPA | Joined Singapore People's Alliance. |
| Lim Koon Teck | Paya Lebar | 5 February 1956 | PP | LSP | Progressive Party and Democratic Party merged. |
| Lim Koon Teck | Paya Lebar | 3 December 1958 | LSP | SPA | Joined Singapore People's Alliance. |
| William Tan Ah Lek | Tiong Bahru | 5 February 1956 | DP | LSP | Progressive Party and Democratic Party merged. |
| Rajabali Jumabhoy | Telok Ayer | 6 February 1956 | Independent | LSP | Joined Liberal Socialist Party. |
| Seah Peng Chuan | Kampong Kapor | 7 June 1956 | LF | Independent | Resigned. |
| Seah Peng Chuan | Kampong Kapor | 25 February 1959 | Independent | CP | Formed Citizens' Party. |
| Lee Choon Eng | Queenstown | 12 June 1956 | LF | Independent | Resigned. |
| Lee Choon Eng | Queenstown | 12 December 1958 | Independent | SPA | Joined Singapore People's Alliance. |
| Anthony Rebeiro Lazarous | Farrer Park | 12 June 1956 | LF | Independent | Resigned. |
| David Marshall | Cairnhill | 17 April 1957 | LF | Independent | Resigned. |
| Mohamed Sidik bin Abdul Hamid | Southern Islands | 21 May 1957 | MU | UMNO | Resigned. |
| Ahmad Ibrahim | Sembawang | 20 October 1957 | Independent | PAP | Elected in PAP leadership. |
| Armand Joseph Braga | Katong | 10 November 1958 | LF | SPA | Joined Singapore People's Alliance. |
| Chew Swee Kee | Whampoa | 10 November 1958 | LF | SPA | Joined Singapore People's Alliance. |
| Jumabhoy Mohamed Jumabhoy | Stamford | 10 November 1958 | LF | SPA | Joined Singapore People's Alliance. |
| Lim Yew Hock | Havelock | 10 November 1958 | LF | SPA | Formed Singapore People's Alliance. |
| Mak Pak Shee | Geylang | 10 November 1958 | LF | SPA | Joined Singapore People's Alliance. |
| Madai Puthan Damodaran Nair | Seletar | 10 November 1958 | Independent | SPA | Joined Singapore People's Alliance. |
| Soh Ghee Soon | Cairnhill | 15 November 1958 | LSP | Independent | Resigned. |
| Soh Ghee Soon | Cairnhill | 3 December 1958 | Independent | SPA | Joined Singapore People's Alliance. |
| Tan Theng Chiang | Rochore | Late 1958 | LF | SPA | Joined Singapore People's Alliance. |
| Richard Chuan Hoe Lim | Nominated | 23 January 1959 | LF | MCA | Joined Malayan Chinese Association. |

**Post-dissolution changes in party affiliation**

| Member | Constituency | Date | Former party | New party | Reason |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| John Anthony Moore Ede | Tanglin | 17 April 1959 | LSP | Independent | Resigned. |
| Lee Choon Eng | Queenstown | 24 April 1959 | SPA | Independent | Resigned. |
| Mak Pak Shee | Geylang | 24 April 1959 | SPA | Independent | Resigned. |
