Dato' Datuk (or its variant Dato or Datu) is a Malay title commonly used in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, as well as a traditional title by Minangkabau people in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The title of the wife of Datuk is Datin. Origin The oldes ...

Jaafar bin Haji Muhammad ( Jawi: جعفر بن محمد, b. 1838 – d. 3 July 1919) D.K., S.P.M.J., C.M.G. was the first and longest serving '' Dato' Menteri Besar'' (

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

) of the independent kingdom of

Johor Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan ...

(today a state in the Malaysian Federation), an office he held from 1886 until his death.

Early life

Jaafar was born in

Teluk Belanga Telok Blangah (, ta, தெலுக் பிளாங்கா) is a subzone region and housing estate located in the area behind Keppel Harbour in Bukit Merah, Singapore. ''Teluk Blanga'' is the district between Pasir Panjang and Tanjong Paga ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Singapore for more than a century, it was originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Comp ...

. He also received Malay and English education.

Career

He began serving with the Johor state government at the age of 16, working as a trainee clerk in the Office of the Minister Raja

Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim Raja Temenggong Tun Daeng Ibrahim bin Temenggong Daeng Abdul Rahman (8 December 1810 – 31 January 1862) was the Temenggong of Johor and later the ''de facto'' Maharaja of Johor from 1855 to 1862. Biography Early life Daeng Ibrahim was born ...

. In 1856 he was appointed clerk in the Office of the Minister, and then he served as deputy for the Chief Minister until 1882. He was Sultan Abu Bakar's escort in the latter's first trip to Europe in 1866. He took office when

Temenggong Abu Bakar Sultan Sir Abu Bakar Al-Khalil Ibrahim Shah ibni Almarhum Temenggong Seri Maharaja Tun Daeng Ibrahim ( Jawi: ; 3 February 1833 – 4 June 1895) was the Temenggong of Johor. He was the 1st Sultan of Modern Johor, the 21st Sultan of Johor and th ...

made himself

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

and created a bureaucratic administration for

in 1885. During his term as Chief Minister, Jaafar was tasked to carry out state administration for the he went overseas. His residence for most of the latter part of his life was Istana Bukit Senyum which was built in 1883 and a high school behind the palace, Sekolah Dato' Jaafar is named after him. In 1904 he was appointed by Sultan Ibrahim, Abu Bakar's son and successor as regent.

Personal life

Jaafar was married five times with five wives, Esah bte Ibrahim, Emon bte Abu Talib, Datin Selamah Ambak and Rogayah Hanim. Three of his sons were also ''Menteri Besar'' after him, including the father of modern Malay nationalism, Dato' Onn Jaafar.

Death

He died in 1919 in Bukit Senyum,

Johor Bahru Johor Bahru (), colloquially referred to as JB, is the capital city of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is located at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia,along the north bank of the Straits of Johor, opposite of the city-state Singapore. T ...

and was buried with full honors at the

Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum The Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum ( ms, Makam Diraja Mahmoodiah) is a Royal Mausoleum of Johor located at Bukit Mahmoodiah in Jalan Mahmoodiah, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The first Sultan of Johor buried here was Sultan Abu Bakar in 1895. Besides ...

Honours

* : **

Most_Honourable_Order_of_the_Crown_of_Johor_-_ribbon_bar

Knight Grand Commander of the

Order of the Crown of Johor The Most Honourable Order of the Crown of Johor (Malay: ''Darjah Mahkota Johor Yang Amat Mulia'') is an Order of chivalry awarded by the Sultan of Johor. It was first instituted on July 31, 1886. It is awarded in three classes: *Knight Grand Com ...

(SPMJ) – Dato' (1886) **

Most Esteemed Royal Family Order of Johor - ribbon bar

Grand Commander of the

Royal Family Order of Johor The Most Esteemed Royal Family Order of Johor (Bahasa Melayu : ''Darjah Kerabat Johor Yang Amat Dihormati''),World Medal IndexDecorations of Johor/ref>Colecciones Militares (Antonio Prieto Barrio)Decorations of Johor/ref> is a chivalrous order a ...

(DK I) (1903) * : ** UK_Order_St-Michael_St-George_ribbon

Honorary Companion of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(CMG)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaafar Bin Haji Muhammad 1838 births 1919 deaths Malaysian people of Malay descent Chief Ministers of Johor Johor state executive councillors People from Johor First Classes of the Royal Family Order of Johor Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor Honorary Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George