Tay Seow Huah


Tay Seow Huah 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.

Career

Tay was awarded the Eisenhower Fellowships in 1971. He was Acting Permanent Secretary of Home Affairs around 1971 and was involved in the Laju incident.
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.
In 1974, after being hospitalised in Tan Tock Seng Hospital due to a cardiovascular disease, Tay went to the United States to seek medical treatment.
On 19 September 1980, Tay died. 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:
*

Awards and decorations