Rajah, A.P. (1911– 1999) Politician, diplomat and judge. Born in Port Dickson, Malaysia, Arumugam Ponnu Rajah studied at Raffles Institution and Oxford University. On his return from the United Kingdom, he practised at Rodyk & Davidson. He then established the firm of Tan, Rajah & Cheah with C.C. Tan and H.S. Cheah. Tan was the leader of the Singapore Progressive Party, and Rajah became the party’s secretary.

In 1959, Rajah was elected to the Legislative Assembly as an independent, but lost his seat in the general election of 1963. In 1964, he was appointed Speaker of Parliament. Two years later, he became Singapore’s first high commissioner to the United Kingdom.

Following another diplomatic posting to Australia, Rajah returned to Singapore to resume legal practice, and was elevated to the High Court in 1976. He retired from the Bench in 1990, and returned to Tan, Rajah & Cheah as a consultant, remaining with the firm until his death.

Photo credit: National Archives of Singapore/ Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts collection