Eric St John Lawson

Eric St John Lawson (24 June 1869 – 25 Apr 1954) was a British colonial police officer who served as Commissioner of Police of Bangkok, Siam from 1902 to 1914.

Biography

Lawson was born on 24 June 1869. He was educated at Westminster School from 1881 to 1885.

Lawson joined the British Burma police force in April 1891, and was subsequently transferred to North West Provinces and Oudh. After promotion to assistant District Superintendent of Police in 1893, he was assigned to famine work in addition to other duties in Banda District, and his services were favourably mentioned in a Government report issued at the close of the famine.

After the outbreak of the First World War, Lawson left Siam and joined the British Army in 1915. He served with British Expeditionary Force in France in 1916 and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in 1917. After being demobilised in 1919, he returned to Siam as adviser to the Ministry of Local Government before retiring in 1921. He died on 25 April 1954, aged 84. He was awarded the First Class of the Order of the Crown of Siam in 1914.