James W. W. Birch
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| James Wheeler Woodford Birch | |
 James Wheeler Woodford Birch |
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| In office 4 November 1874 – 2 November 1875 |
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| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Frank A. Swettenham |
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| Born | April 3, 1826 South England, United Kingdom |
| Died | November 2, 1875 (aged 49) Pasir Salak, British Malaya |
| Religion | Christian |
James Wheeler Woodford Birch, commonly known as J. W. W. Birch (3 April 1826 - 2 November 1875) was the first British Resident in Perak, Malaysia. He was appointed the post on 4 November 1874 as the government adviser to the Sultan of Perak following the signing of the famous Pangkor Treaty on 20 January 1874, which established Perak as the British protectorate state.
[edit] Assassination
Birch was killed on 2 November 1875 by a local Malay chief, Dato Maharajalela and his friend Sepuntum by spearing him to death while he was taking his bath, nearby a river, in Pasir Salak, near today's Teluk Intan (Teluk Anson), because of his disrespect to the local custom and tradition, and conflict with local Malay chiefs.
Birch's assassination was ultimately due to the fact that he outlawed slavery in Perak. Dato Maharajalela, whose income depended on capturing and selling the indigenes of Perak or Orang Asli as slaves, was then incensed and plotted with some of the slave-traders to kill Birch by spearing him when he was taking his bath in the river.
In the aftermath of the event, the administration shifted to Taiping. Sultan Abdullah was deposed and sent to exile in Seychelles. Dato Maharajalela and others involved in the incident were hanged.
[edit] Memorial
Birch's grave is located near the site of British fort at Kampung Pasir Pulai, about 24 km from Pasir Salak. Roads in Kuala Lumpur and Taiping were thought to have been named after him (Birch Road), but this was for a different Birch; ironically, the same road was later renamed after Dato Maharajalela (Maharajalela Road; Malay: Jalan Maharajalela) after Malaysia's independence in 1957. Similarly Birch Road also appeared in several towns in Malaysia, they were Seremban, Penang and Ipoh, also found in Singapore.
[edit] Sources and references
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Position created |
British Resident of Perak 1874 – 1875 |
Succeeded by Frank A. Swettenham |
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