Before Singapore became the bustling city-state it is today, it was part of the Straits Settlements, a British administrative group that also included Penang and Malacca. Robert Fullerton, appointed on this day 199 years ago, November 27, 1826, was the first Governor of the Straits Settlements. Born in 1773 in Edinburgh, Scotland, Fullerton had served as the Governor of Penang from 1824 to 1827 before taking on this new role, working alongside three resident councillors representing Penang, Malacca, and Singapore.

Fullerton’s main goal was to make the Straits Settlements self-sufficient. He proposed taxes on land and houses, fines in law courts, and a retrenchment scheme. However, his plans to impose export duties and tariffs on Chinese and Indian immigrants returning home were opposed by merchants and colonial officials who wanted to maintain the Settlements’ free-port status. By 1829, the governor-general of India, William Bentinck, had to intervene, reducing the Settlements’ administration to a residency under the Bengal Presidency.

Despite these challenges, Fullerton is credited with laying the foundations of municipal governance in the Straits Settlements. In 1827, he established “The Committee of Assessors” in Penang to ensure streets were clean, safe, and well-maintained, marking an early step toward organized urban administration. He returned to Europe in 1830 and was succeeded by Robert Ibbetson, passing away in London the following year.

Fullerton’s legacy is still visible in Singapore today. In 1829, he commissioned Fort Fullerton at the mouth of the Singapore River to protect the town. The fort was expanded in 1854 but demolished in 1873 to make way for commercial development. The Fullerton Building was then constructed on the site and opened on June 27, 1928, by Governor Sir Hugh Clifford, who named it in Fullerton’s honor. Originally serving as the General Post Office, it became a Japanese military base during World War II and later housed key government offices. Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, also held numerous political rallies there from the 1950s to the 1980s. Today, the building operates as a luxury five-star hotel and has been gazetted as Singapore’s 71st National Monument.