Short+Intro+on+Eddie+Barker

Short Intro: **Edmund William Barker** (December 1, 1920 – April 12, 2001) was a Singaporean politician of mixed German, Scottish, Japanese, Indonesian, Portuguese and Irish descent.

Barker was educated ast Serangoon English School and Raffles Institution and was School Captain, Head Prefect and Champion Athlete in 1938. He had also studied at Raffles College and was awarded a scholarship in 1940.

In 1948, he went to St Catherine's College, Cambridge, to study law. He practised law in Signapore from 1952 to 1964. Barker first practised law in Braddell Brothers and later in Lee & Lee from 1957 to 1964. In 1963, he was made Speaker of Singapore's Legislative Assembly.

Barker's real involvement with politics also began in that same year, about a week before the elections. After Barker's victory (and later successive victories), Barker remained as Member of Parliament of Tanglin SMC from 1963 until his retirement from the Parliament in 1988 for six terms without a contest.

In his 15 years in parliament, Barker served as the minister for national development from 1965-75, minister for home affairs in 1972, minister for environment from 1975-79, minister for science and technology from 1977-81 and minister for labour in 1983.

Between 1970 to 1990, he had held other positions, such as the first President of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC, November 1970 to 1990), President of the South-East Peninsular Games Federation Council in September 1973, Chairman of Bukit Turf Club from 1989 to 1994, and Chairman of the Singapore Stock Exchange from 1989 to 1993.

A true sportsman Barker was, he was a top athlete in his school and university days and represented his school in cricket, soccer, rugby and athletics. He bagged a half-Blue award for badminton at Cambridge University and was part of a fiercely-named hockey team- Harimau or "Tigers" in Malay. He also loved horse racing but watched it from the stands. The only game he did not play was golf.

Barker was the son of Clarence Barker and Dorothy Evaline Paterson. He was married to Gloria Hyacinth Quintal and had four children; three daughters and one son. He was in good health until April 2000 when he was hit by a series of medical problems. He died on 12 April 2001 at 12.40 pm at the National University Hospital, after two months of intensive care following an emergency colon surgery in February 2001.