Francis McWilliams, engineer behind PJ's development, passes away at 96

Picture courtesy of Selangor Royal Office.

THE engineer behind the early planning of the city of Petaling Jaya in 1954, Datuk Sri Selera Sir Francis McWilliams, who was also a former Lord Mayor of London, passed away in the United Kingdom.

Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah and Tengku Permaisuri Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin expressed their condolences to the family of the deceased in a Facebook post on the official Selangor Royal Office page.

In the social media post, it stated that McWilliams had passed away on Aug 31 at the age of 96.

He resided in Tanah Melayu in 1953 and began his career as an assistant engineer in the then Melaka municipal council.

He was later appointed as the city engineer for Petaling Jaya, then known as Petaling Jaya Development Corporation (PJDC).

He retired as the general manager of PJDC in 1964 and continued living in Malaysia.

Following his great contributions to the city of Petaling Jaya, the eighth Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, awarded him the Datuk Diraja Selangor with the title of Datuk Seri Selera in March 1973.

In 1976, McWilliams returned to the UK and was appointed as the Lord Mayor of the City of London in 1992.

He was also awarded the prestigious Knight Grand Cross of Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.