George Edwin Bogaars

George Edwin Bogaars (25 October 19266 April 1992) was a Singaporean intelligence officer and bureaucrat. From 1961 to 1965, he served as the head of the Ministry of Home Affairs' Special Branch and oversaw Operation Coldstore. He subsequently led the Singapore Civil Service and was instrumental in the establishment of the Singapore Armed Forces. Bogaars was also the director of Keppel Shipyard and the National Iron and Steel Mills. Between 1980 and 1985, he suffered a heart attack and three strokes, and remained in poor health for the rest of his life. In 1992, Bogaars died of heart failure, aged 65.

Early life and education George Edwin Bogaars was born on 25 October 1926 in Singapore. Bogaars's first name was taken from his father, George Edward Bogaars, who was the secretary to the Governor of the Straits Settlements and the Federated Malay States, while his middle name was taken from his great-grandfather, Edwin Tessensohn. Bogaars attended the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, Saint Patrick's School, and St. Joseph's Institution. A year later, he received a Shell Fellowship to pursue a Master of Arts in history at the same university.

Career Bogaars had hoped to pursue an academic career but in 1952, at his father's insistence, Following Singapore's separation from Malaysia in 1965, Bogaars was appointed Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Defence under Goh Keng Swee.

In 1967, the History Association of Singapore was established and Bogaars was elected as its first president. The same year, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

Bogaars left the Ministry of Defence in 1970 to become Permanent Secretary (Economic Development) at the Ministry of Finance. According to Lim Kim San, Bogaars's departure from the Ministry of Defence was due to his failure to restrict the conscription of Malays into the SAF—an especially sensitive issue following the 1969 race riots of Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew elaborated in his memoirs:

In 1973, Bogaars was appointed Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Bogaars resigned from his position as head of the Civil Service in July 1975 and was succeeded by Howe Yoon Chong. DBS Bank, and the National Iron and Steel Mills.

On 7 March 1985, Bogaars was admitted to Singapore General Hospital after suffering a heart attack. He suffered a third stroke in November of the same year, which left him partially paralysed and temporarily unable to speak. On 6 April 1992, Bogaars died of heart failure, aged 65. In 1971,

Selected works and publications