Foo Tye Sin () was a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

and an influential community leader of 19th century.Historical Personalities of Penang By Historical Personalities of Penang Committee, Published by Historical Personalities of Penang Committee, 1986; Page 55

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

born Foo Tye Sin, a British subject, was a

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...

tin mine Tin mining began early in the Bronze Age, as bronze is a copper-tin alloy. Tin is a relatively rare element in the Earth's crust, with approximately 2 ppm (parts per million), compared to iron with 50,000 ppm. History Tin extraction and use can ...

r who could trace his ancestry to the Yong Ting District, Ting Chou Prefecture, Fujian. He was educated at

St. Xavier's Institution , motto_translation = Labour Conquers All , streetaddress = Farquhar Street, , city = George Town , state = Penang , postcode = 10200 , country = Ma ...

The Penang Po Leung Kuk: Records and Recollections (1889–1934): Chinese Women, Prostitution & a Welfare Organisation By Neil Jin Keong Khor, Keat Siew Khoo, Izrin Muaz Md. Adnan Published by Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 2004; , ; pp. 53–57 and the

Penang Free School , motto_translation = Strong and Faithful , streetaddress = Green Lane, , city = George Town , state = Penang , postcode = 11600 , country = Malaysi ...

.Gangsters into Gentlemen: The Breakup of Multiethnic Conglomerates and The Rise of A Straits Chinese Identity in Penang by Engseng Ho, Department of Anthropology, William James Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 Email ho@wjh.harvard.edu Presented at The Penang Story œ International Conference 2002 18–21 April 2002, The City Bayview Hotel, Penang, Malaysia organised by The Penang Heritage Trust & STAR Publications Tye Sin Street (), or Lebuh Tye Sin as it is now known as, is named after him.

Disturbances at Pinang and Larut

He was involved in events leading up to the signing of the

Pangkor Treaty The Pangkor Treaty of 1874 was a treaty signed between Great Britain and the Sultan of Perak on 20 January 1874, on the Colonial Steamer Pluto, off the coast of Perak. The treaty is significant in the history of the Malay states as it legitimis ...

that would end the ten-year

Larut Wars The Larut Wars were a series of four wars started in July 1861 and ended with the signing of the Pangkor Treaty of 1874. The conflict was fought among local Chinese secret societies over the control of mining areas in Perak which later involve ...

. His services were often called for in arbitration proceedings between the

Hai San The Hai San Society (), which had its origins in Southern China,Encyclopædia Britannica was a Penang-based Chinese secret society established around 1820 and in 1825 led by Low, Ah ChongTriad Societies: Western Accounts of the History, Sociology ...

and

Ghee Hin The Ghee Hin Kongsi () was a secret society in Singapore and Malaya, formed in 1820. Ghee Hin literally means "the rise of righteousness" in Chinese and was part of the Hongmen overseas network. The Ghee Hin often fought against the Hakka-domin ...

societies involved in the Larut Wars. Foo Tye Sin was one of three Chinese considered respectable enough to sit on the commission of inquiry into the 1867 Penang riots. He was the only non-partisan Chinese at a ceasefire conference called by Lt. Governor Anson at the height of the Larut war, even though he was, according to CS Wong, "...overtly and independent, but covertly a Hai San sympathiser." Foo Tye Sin and Ong Boon Teik were creditors of

Ngah Ibrahim Ngah Ibrahim was a Malay headman who succeeded his father Long Jaafar as headman and administrator of the district of Larut upon the death of his father in 1857. By the time of Sultan Ismail Mu'abbiddin Riayat Shah of Perak, Ngah Ibrahim had qu ...

the Mantri of Larut. In early 1872, Foo Tye Sin and Ong Boon Teik sued Ngah Ibrahim.The Western Malay States, 1850–1873: the effects of commercial development on Malay politics By Kay Kim Khoo Published by Oxford University Press, 1972; pp. 173, 209, 210

Tye Sin Tat and Co.

Foo Tye Sin and Koh Seang Tat, a descendant of

Koh Lay Huan Kapitan China Koh Lay Huan (; died 1826) was a wealthy and educated man, who had earlier rebelled against the Manchu-led Chinese Qing Dynasty and fled to Siam and the Malay States, to eventually settle in Penang as its first Kapitan China. He wa ...

, the first Kapitan China of Penang, were business partners in the firm of Tye Sin Tat & Co., ships' chandlers, which was located at Beach Street. They were, together, two of the three Chinese Justices of the Peace in 1874."

The Penang Khean Guan Insurance Company (1886)

He was a founder and member of the board of directors of the Penang Khean Guan Insurance Company. The board was composed thus:

Name of Partners

* Tan Ley Kum (), Chairman * Cheah Chean Eok (), Secretary * Lee Phee Yeow (), Chong Moh & Co. * Cheah Eu Ghee (), Chie Hin & Co. * Khoo Thean Teik (), Chin Bee & Co. * Khoo Sim Bee (), Ee Soon & Co. *

Cheah Tek Soon Cheah Tek Soon () was a 19th-century Penang businessman, and headman of the Hokkien in Penang,"The Excise Farms." The Straits Times 3 August 1900: 2. Print. after whom Tek Soon Street was named. He was an active member of the Penang community an ...

(), Sin Eng Moh & Co. * Ong Beng Tek (), Ban Chin Hong & Co. * Foo Tye Sin () * Yeoh Cheng Tek (), Hong Thye & Co. *

Khaw Sim Bee Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahitsaraphakdi ( th, พระยารัษฎานุประดิษฐ์มหิศรภักดี; 1857–1913, born Khaw Sim Bee ( th, คอซิมบี๊; , ) was a Thai Chinese provincial administrator. ...

(), Koe Guan & Co. * Cheah Leng Hoon (), Eng Ban Hong & Co. * Gan Kim Swee (), Aing Joo & Co. * Tan Lim Keng (), Kim Cheang & Co. * Ong Boon Tek (), Treasurer * Logan & Ross: Solicitors

Pitt Street Kong Hock Temple (1887)

Together with

Khaw Boo Aun Khaw ( ar, خاو) is a sub-district located in Yarim District, Ibb Governorate, Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the ...

(also spelt Koh Boo Aun), Khoo Thean Teik and

, He was made a trustee of the

Pitt Street Kong Hock Temple zh, 觀音亭 , image = Kong Hock Keong Penang Dec 2006 002.jpg , caption = Front view of Goddess of Mercy Temple , map_type = Malaysia Penang George Town streets , map_size = 275px , l ...

in 1887, with the power to appoint and remove monks.Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society By Malaysian Branch, Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland Malaysian Branch, Singapore, 1988; p. 71

Penang Po Leung Kuk (1889)

Along with Koh Seang Tat, Khaw Sim Bee, Ong Boon Teik and Ong Beng Teik, he was a founder of The

Penang Po Leung Kuk The Penang Po Leung Kuk was founded in 1889 by Foo Tye Sin, Koh Seang Tat, Khaw Sim Bee, Ong Boon Teik and Ong Beng Teik. The Penang Po Leung Kuk was the first Anglo-Chinese welfare organisation in Penang dedicated to protecting Chinese female immig ...

(1889).

Foo Tye Sin Mansion

Foo Tye Sin's mansion was one of the first non-European mansions to be erected along Light Street.

References

External links

Hong Leong Bank At Foo Tye Sin Mansion
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foo Tye Sin History of Penang People from British Penang People from Penang Malaysian people of Hakka descent People from Yongding District, Longyan 1825 births 1888 deaths