David Marshall (Singaporean politician)

David Saul Marshall (né Mashal; 12 March 1908 – 12 December 1995) was a Singaporean barrister and statesman who served as the inaugural Chief Minister of Singapore from 1955 to 1956 and the Singapore Ambassador to France from 1978 to 1993. He resigned after just over a year at the helm after his delegation to London regarding negotiations for complete home rule and eventual independence of Singapore was initially rejected by the British. However, Marshall was nevertheless instrumental in forging the idea of sovereignty as well as in subsequent negotiations that led to its eventual self-governance from the United Kingdom in 1959.

While Marshall had a privileged upbringing, he was a left-wing nationalist who sought the self-determination of the former British Crown colony—having founded the Labour Front and the Workers' Party. From 1963 onward, he renounced partisan politics and became an independent politician for the rest of his life. Singapore eventually gained its complete independence in 1965 as a sovereign country – his foremost political goal coming to fruition.

In 1978, Marshall became a diplomat and was Singapore's inaugural ambassador to various countries, including France, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland. During this time he defended Singapore's interests abroad, despite his old political opponent and fellow barrister Lee Kuan Yew (under the People's Action Party) having long led the government as prime minister. Nevertheless, he publicly maintained constructive criticism of some domestic policies with which he disagreed. Marshall retired in 1993, and died two years later in 1995, at the age of 87.