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Americans in Singapore
New Beginnings for Americans in Singapore
By Marc Servos
Those of us who were in Singapore in 2017 and in some capacity connected with the American Association remember the Centennial commemoration as being a fairly recent observance. Most of the Centennial’s focus was post-1917 with the Singapore American Newspaper highlighting this celebration throughout the year with articles, some of which I contributed, covering activities of the American community’s history and Association developments and establishments during the previous 100 years. The January 2017 issue, however, consists of a number of articles on historical American activities prior to and around the time of the founding of the American Association of Malaya as it was initially known. The American Journey in Singapore, written by long-time American expat Jim Baker and published as the year closed as part of the celebration, gives much valued insight on how the American experience manifested. The American presence, not only in Singapore but also in this region even long before Sir Stamford Raffles’ historic arrival in 1819, eventually led to the Association’s establishment.
Early American Commerce in the Region
During the period of Colonial America, Yankee traders as British subjects made their presence with their involvement with the East India Company in the Straits of Malacca going back to the late 17th century. One prominent figure who served as president of the company was Elihu Yale, who was also the biggest benefactor of what is now Yale University. During much of the following century, Colonial American privateers participated in the region during the wars between Britain and France.
American commercial activities continued in the Straits after the War for Independence (17751783), but this slowed down during the War of 1812. American commerce resumed its prewar level of involvement after hostilities ended in early 1815, largely with the United Kingdom Commerce and Navigation Treaty between the former foes, which opened British ports for American trade.
When East India Company official Stamford Raffles put Singapore under British rule in 1819, Americans were seen as competitors. Now under British Crown rule, company governance was a technicality used as an excuse to deny free access to Singapore for American traders. American traders worked around this by going to nearby Dutch islands and ferrying their goods to Singapore. After much debate and American pressure over the years, Singapore was opened to American commerce in 1839.
Joseph Balestier, First American Consul, and his wife Maria Revere Balestier
Joseph Balestier (1788-1858) is best-known as being the first American consul in Singapore, officially from 1837 until 1852. He was also the first American consul to the Riau Islands south of Singapore, part of the Dutch East Indies, presentday Indonesia. He established a 1,000-acre sugar cane plantation in Singapore where today Balestier Road runs, and he transformed the crop into sugar and rum with the use of a steam engine. Prior to 1839, he had already conducted business in Bintan while residing on his plantation. Balestier also was a founding member of Singapore’s first Chamber of Commerce.
His wife, Maria Revere Balestier (1785-1847), daughter of famed patriot and silversmith Paul Revere, donated the Revere Bell to the first Church of Saint Andrew’s in 1843. The bell was manufactured by the family-run Revere Copper Works and used to signal curfew, ringing for five minutes every night at 8 pm. After the church’s demolition in 1855 and replacement with the current Saint Andrew’s Cathedral upon its completion in 1861, the Revere Bell’s use continued there until 1874. It was subsequently in storage for years until its installation at Saint George’s Garrison Church in Tanglin Barracks in 1911. It later became irreparably cracked and donated by the Anglican Archdeacon of Singapore Graham White in 1937 to Raffles Museum, now the National Museum of Singapore. The bell has since been displayed at the National Museum with the exception of 1997 until 2006 when it was on loan to the United States Embassy in Singapore while the museum went through renovation.
Maria’s obituary in 1847 in the Singapore Free Press recognized her “untiring zeal in the service of the sick, the afflicted, and the needy - to obtain her good offices the only requisite was to need them” and further added that “she treated her servants like sons; her friends and neighbours like brethren.”
Joseph sold his property in Singapore the following year after a decline of the sugar industry due to Singapore produce not being given import privileges, and also due to his declining health. However, he continued to hold the post of American consul until 1852. He died in York, Pennsylvania, in 1858.
American Missionary Work
British victory over China in the Opium War (1839-1842) led to the latter opening up for international trade, paving the way for American Protestant Missionaries in that county. American missionaries had appeared in Singapore about a decade prior to 1842, and this gave them the opportunity to prepare for later activities in China by working with the Chinese in Singapore.
Printing Chinese-language translations of the Bible were among the activities of the American missionaries. The missionaries in Singapore also printed other texts in the Chinese language, including secular ones on US history and geography.
Continued American presence and activity in the mature colony up to 1917
Trading rights in 1839 benefited American commerce which included shipping opium from Turkey to Asia, competing with the East India Company, and importing ice from New England. These activities were profitable prior to the American Civil War (1861-1865). Clipper ships, prominent during the 1850s, sailed into Singapore, but were soon replaced by steamships.
During Admiral Matthew Perry’s first expedition in 1852-53 to negotiate with feudal Japan to open its ports for American commerce, the fleet stopped in Singapore in March 1853. During this stop, Perry said:
The American Civil War created huge markets for manufactured goods for the Union Army, including tin for canned foods. Much of this raw material was exported from Singapore and Malaya. This demand continued after the war with canned goods being shipped to the western US states, especially after the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 enabling more convenient transport of goods to the rest of the country.
The British, including those in Singapore, initially sympathized with the Confederacy as the Union was seen as an economic competitor. The Confederate Navy was never a threat to the Union Navy and relied on raiding Union commerce, and the CSS Alabama was built in Britain for this purpose. It even made welcomed stops in Singapore in late 1863 while on expeditionary raids on the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific. But the crew of the Confederate vessel indiscriminately raided targets other than Union vessels, and after the Alabama sank the British flagged Texan Star in December of that year, it was no longer welcomed in Singapore. The Alabama returned to France for repairs, where it reached the port of Cherbourg in June 1864. But the Union Navy’s USS Kearsarge confronted it days later and sank it in battle.
Facilitating economic expansion and demand for raw materials, Singapore became connected to New York and London by telegraph line in the early 1870s. The gutta-percha plant, introduced in Singapore and grown on local plantations, helped provide coating to protect the underwater cables.
During this period, other American firms making their appearance in Singapore included American President Lines (APL), previously known as Pacific Mail Steamship Company, making its arrival in the colony in 1869 and subsequently conducting operations with the United States West Coast. With the Singapore market being a major source of rubber and setting its price, Goodyear, US Rubber, BF Goodrich and Firestone made their appearances during the early 20th century.
In 1902, the International Banking Corporation (IBC) became the first American bank to be established in Singapore. IBC facilitated the practice of using a highly trusted intermediary known as a comprador, between the bank and the local businesses, which was not permitted in the United States. IBC was purchased by the First National City Bank of New York (FNCB), one of its investors, in 1915, and it was later renamed Citibank in 1976.
This economic growth drew more foreigners to Singapore, and it was reported that there were 40 Americans in the colony in 1891 with quadruple the number by 1915. It was by the latter year that the United States had surpassed the United Kingdom as Singapore’s most important trading partner. But despite Singapore’s position as a leading economic hub by the turn of the century, the society continued to be transient with most newcomers staying temporarily.
1917: United States entry into World War I and Founding of the American Association
President Woodrow Wilson declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917, and subsequent occurrences of the American community reflected the war.
On April 26, the Americans commemorated its entry by declaring America Day. American flags flew or were draped on cars at Raffles Place. A special service was conducted at St. Andrews Cathedral, where Marie Revere Balestier several decades before had donated the iconic Revere Bell. The British Union Jack was displayed in front of the altar, and the American Stars and Stripes was draped on the pulpit.
What is also of note is that the American platoon was formed as part of the British-run Singapore Volunteer Corps during the war.
The American Association of Malaya was founded in August 1917 when a group of American businessmen met with the American consul general, located at Raffles Place at the time.
The increasing number of Americans in the colony included some being themselves stranded and even destitute. The Association’s objectives as stated in its constitution, included then as of today fostering United States citizens’ interests and their ties with other nationals and encouraging beneficial relations among Americans. These involved affiliating with other associations and assisting Americans in distress.
The Association was initially opened to American men residing in Malaya with 33 members at its inception. Membership grew to 122 members within a year.
Summarization of the American community and the Association
The present-day backbone of American activity in Singapore continues to be seen through the American Association of Singapore. Since its founding, this non-profit organization has established a number of other organizations and establishments, some noted examples being The American Club, American Women’s Association, and the Singapore American School, as well as holding a number of events and activities. It also connects with the United States Embassy and the American military presence in Singapore and continues to serve as a constitutive establishment for the American community as well as a number of non-Americans involved.
