Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham C.M.G., K.C.M.G., G.C.M.G., was born in Belper, Derbyshire, 1850, the 4th son of James Oldham Swettenham of Giffiels House, Derbyshire, England. He was inducted as a Cadet Officer in the Straits Settlements Civil Service, 1870. He arrived in Singapore in January 1871, passed final exam in Malay Studies in July 1872 and was promoted to Assistant Collector and later Collector of Land Revenue Penang and Province Wellesley, 1872-1873. He was made Justice of the Peace and Magistrate, and Commissioner, Court of Appeals Penang in May 1874. Employed as special envoy to Perak in January 1874, and sent to serve with the Sultan of Selangor in August 1874. Assistant Resident Selangor, Desember 1874. Deputy Commissioner Perak, November 1875. Assistant Colonial Secretary for the Malay States, 1876. Assistant Colonial Secretary, 1881. British Resident Selangor 1882. Commissioner for Straits Settlements and Malay State, Calcutta Exhibition, 1883-1884. Acting Resident Perak, 1884-1886. Commissioner for Straits Settlements and Malay States, Colonial and Indian Exhibition, 1886. Resident Perak, 1889. Resident General Federated Malay States, 1896. Governor, Straits Settlements, 1901. Retired, 1904. Chairman of Royal Commission on Mauritius, 1909. Died 11th June 1946. This statue was erected to commemorate his numerous contrbutions towards the early development of Malaya and its cost of manufacture was borne by his many friends and admirers. The statue was first placed adjacent to the Selangor State Secretariat Building facing the confluence of the Gombak and Kelang rivers and was officially unveiled on 19 January 1921. During the Japanese Occupation of Malaya, the statue was temporarily removed but was returned to its original site on 15 October 1946 before it was finally moved to its present location in Muzium Negara.