Tay Seow Huah

Tay Seow Huah (– 19 September 1980) was a Singaporean senior civil servant who served at various times as Director of the Special Branch, Director of the Security and Intelligence Division, Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs and Permanent Secretary for Defence, prior to his retirement in 1976. He then taught history at the University of Singapore.

Early life and education Tay was born in Penang, and he attended the University of Malaya in Singapore to study history. Tay graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.

In February 1973, Tay was appointed as deputy chairman on a public inquiry committee into juvenile crime, assisting chairman Tan Boon Chiang.

On 1 April 1976, Tay retired from the civil service on medical grounds.

Personal life Tay was married to Cecilia Cheong Keong Hin, and they had two children—Joanne Tay and Simon Tay. He was undergoing an operation in a London hospital to remove a brain tumour, and fell into a coma.

Legacy In December 2000, the Tay Seow Huah Book Prize was set up by his children, relatives, friends, and former colleagues, including President S. R. Nathan.

In 2024, his son released a memoir about him:

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