Frank Caulfield James

Frank Caulfield James (1902 — 12 May 1973) was a member of the Municipal Commission of Singapore, the leader of the Singapore Progressive Party and a teacher.

Early life and education James was born in 1902 in Bangkok. He was the son of Joseph Caulfield James, the principal tutor to Prince Vajiravudh of Siam. He was sent to Singapore as his father wanted him to learn English when the only foreign language taught in Bangkok was French. He attended the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ) and St. Joseph's Institution.

Career At the age of 15, he began teaching at St. Joseph's Institution. He was able to do so as the authorities forgot to check his date of birth prior to appointing him as a teacher. He began teaching at St. Joseph's Institution in 1916 and attended teacher training at Raffles Institution. but was demoted to a teacher after failing his Japanese test. He was reelected in the 1950 Singapore Municipal Commission election. In February 1953, he succeeded Arumugam Ponnu Rajah as the leader of the party. In October, he withdrew from the 1953 Singapore City Council election for health reasons.

After returning to England, he was employed at several local examination boards as a part-time examiner. He also taught English to foreign students at a technical college. They had two daughters and a son. Following his death, the Christian Brothers' Old Boys' Association established the Frank C. James Memorial Scholarship Fund in memory of him.