Leonard George Corney
Leonard George Corney | |
|---|---|
Corney in 1940 | |
| Born | 27 March 1886 |
| Died | 13 August 1955 (aged 69) |
| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Colonial admininistrator |
| Children | 2 |
Leonard George Corney (27 March 1886 – 13 August 1955) was a British colonial administrator who was Auditor of the Federated Malay States and the Straits Settlements from 1936 to 1941.
Early life and education
Corney was born on 27 March 1886, the youngest son of Alfred and Elizabeth Steele Corney. He was educated at St John's College, Cambridge as a classical exhibitioner.[1][2]
Career
Corney joined the Colonial Audit Service responsible for auditing the accounts of the British colonies and protectorates on behalf of the Secretary of State. In 1910, he was posted to the Gold Coast as assistant Auditor and in 1920 rose to Deputy Auditor of the Colony.[1][2]
After serving for two years as assistant director of the Colonial Audit Department in London, in 1932, Corney went to Malaya where he served as Deputy Auditor of the newly constituted Audit Department of the Straits Settlements and the Federated Malay States,[3] and was appointed to the substantive position of Auditor of the Straits Settlements and the Federated Malay States in 1936. He served as a member of the Legislative Council and was auditor of Singapore Municipality.[4] In 1939, he served on the committee appointed by the Sultan of Johore to inquire into the organisation and administration of the Public Works Department of the state.[5] In 1940, he was appointed Acting Financial Secretary of the Straits Settlements,[6] and was chairman of the War Loan Committee which recommended that the government of the Straits Settlements raise a loan of $25 million loan for the war effort to be financed from an income tax uniformly introduced throughout Malaya,[7] and subsequently served as chairman of the Joint Committee on Income Tax established to study its implementation.[8] In December 1940, he announced he would leave the service when he reached retirement age the following year.[1]
After the War, he served as a member East African Salaries Commission as Salaries Commissioner Aden and Somaliland in 1947.[1]
During the First World War, he served in Europe with the Artists' Rifles (1916), and the Gold Coast Regiment (1917–18). During the Second World War, he was interned by the Japanese in Singapore from 1942 to 1945.[1][9]
Personal life and death
Corney married Hilda Fletcher in 1921 and they had a son and a daughter.[1]
Corney died on 13 August 1955, aged 69.[1]
Honours
Corney was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 1946 Birthday Honours.[9][10]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g A. & C. Black Ltd. (1964). Who was who, 1951-1960 : a companion to Who's who. Internet Archive. London : Black. p. 242.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) - ^ a b Relations, Great Britain Office of Commonwealth (1932). The Dominions Office and Colonial Office List for ... Waterlow & Sons, Limited.
- ^ "Untitled". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. 16 January 1932. p. 7.
- ^ "Annual accounts of Singapore - Report of Municipal Auditor". Malaya Tribune. 11 August 1936. p. 4.
- ^ "The week in Malaya". The Straits Budget. 18 May 1939. p. 1.
- ^ "Untitled". Malaya Tribune. 27 April 1940. p. 4.
- ^ "$25,000,000 war loan for the Colony". The Straits Times1. 15 August 1940. p. 10.
- ^ "Joint committee to study income tax". The Straits Budget. 3 October 1940. p. 10.
- ^ a b "Birthday Honours - Knighthood for S'pore Governor". The Singapore Free Press. 13 June 1946. p. 6.
- ^ "Page 2761 | Supplement 37598, 4 June 1946 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-06-15.