Tan Jiak Kim CMG (29 April 1859 - 22 October 1917) was a

Peranakan The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, th ...

merchant, political activist and philanthropist from Singapore. He co-founded the Straits Chinese British Association along with

Lim Boon Keng Lim Boon Keng (; 18 October 1869 – 1 January 1957) was a Peranakan physician who advocated social and educational reforms in Singapore in the early 20th-century. He also served as the president of Xiamen University in China between 1921 and ...

, Seah Liang Seah and

Song Ong Siang Sir Song Ong Siang () was a lawyer and active citizen of the British Crown Colony of the Straits Settlements. He was an ethnic Hokkien as well as a third generation Hokkien Peranakan Baba (Peranakan term for ''man'') Chinese with ancestry from ...

Early life

Tan was born on 29 April 1859 as the eldest son of merchant and philanthropist

Tan Beng Swee Tan or TAN may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Black and Tans, a nickname for British special constables during the Irish War of Independence. By extension "Tans" can now also colloquially refer to English people, English or British peopl ...

and his wife Seet Kenh Neo, a sibling of

Tan Jiak Chuan Tan or TAN may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Black and Tans, a nickname for British special constables during the Irish War of Independence. By extension "Tans" can now also colloquially refer to English or British people in general, es ...

, and the grandson of businessman and philanthropist

Tan Kim Seng Tan Kim Seng (18 November 1805 – 14 March 1864), was a prominent Straits-born Chinese merchant and philanthropist in Singapore in the 19th century. Biography Born in Malacca in 1806 to Tan Swee Poh (), he was the grandson of Tan Sin Liew (), ...

. Besides Chinese, he could also speak Malay and English. Tan was introduced to the family business, Kim Seng & Co., in 1877, and became a partner with his uncle Tan Beng Gum after his father's death in 1888.

Legislative council

Tan was elected the municipal commissioner of the central ward in 1888, generally representing the Chinese community in Singapore along with Seah Liang Seah, and resigned on 15 December 1893. He had resigned as his term had expired and he wished to retire from the legislative council as an unofficial member. By then, he had already built himself a reputation as a philanthropist, and was popular in his position. However, he was the only person to be nominated as municipal commissioner in April 1894, after being nominated by Thomas Shelford and

Lee Cheng Yan Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese s ...

, and thus rejoined the legislative council as an unofficial member. In 1901, he and his son went on a visit to Europe. Tan represented the colony at the coronation celebrations of 1911 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

along with Hugh Fort. On 3 April 1912, Tan was awarded 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. ...

for his assistance to the legislative council, and for his philanthropy. After receiving the award, he stated that he wished that more Asians would be awarded with the award.

Resignation from the legislative council

Tan first announced his plans to resign from the legislative council in May 1915, as his health had begun to deteriorate. Tan retired from his position as an unofficial member of the legislative council in March 1916. Despite his health, there were initially hopes of him recovering and returning to the legislative council. Following his resignation, Lee Choon Guan proposed for a portrait of Tan to be commissioned and hung in the

Victoria Memorial Hall The Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall is a performing arts centre in the Central Area of Singapore, situated along Empress Place. It is a complex of two buildings and a clock tower joined together by a common corridor; the oldest part of the ...

. The proposal was supported by

, and a fundraiser for Tan's portrait was soon held, with $20 being the maximum someone could donate.

Straits Chinese British Association

Tan, Seah Liang Seah,

and

founded the Straits Chinese British Association on 17 August 1900, which was originally headed by Lim. The organisation favoured the British, and was popular with the government of Singapore, helping represent the Peranakan community in Singapore. In 1907, Lim decided to resign from his position as head of the association. He initially asked for Tan to take his place, but Tan declined the offer.

Philanthropy

In 1896, Tan introduced the "Tan Jiak Kim Scholarship" in

Raffles Institution Raffles Institution (RI) is an independent educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1823, it is the oldest school in the country. It provides secondary education for boys only from Year 1 to Year 4, and pre-university education for both ...

, which any male student could compete for. This occurred while he was a trustee of the institution's board. In 1895, following the collapse of a building, Tan donated money to victims of the collapse. On 14 October 1904, Tan began a fundraiser with a goal of $71,000 to fund the construction of a new school, the

King Edward VII College of Medicine King Edward VII Medical College (KEMC) was a medical school from 1905 to 1949 in Singapore, the first one in what was then Malaya. It was officially named King Edward VII Medical College in 1921 and subsequently became the Faculty of Medicine, Un ...

. By November 1904, he had managed to raise $37,000 for the college. By 1905, $87,000 had been raised, $12,000 which had been donated by Tan. Another $15,000 of the raised funds came from rubber tycoon Tan Chay Yan. Tan and Seah managed to raise a further $120,000 to expand the school, and provided it with a $1,500 scholarship. Tan donated $37,000 to the Prince of Wales Relief Fund during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

to aid the British in buying battle planes.

Personal life

Tan lived along

River Valley Road River Valley is a planning area located within the Central Area of the Central Region of Singapore. The planning area shares boundaries with Orchard in the north, Museum in the east, Tanglin in the west and Singapore River in the south. Etymol ...

in the Panglima Prang bungalow. In 1878, Tan married Ang Geok Hoe. Both of them had 2 children, a son,

Tan Soo Bin Tan or TAN may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Black and Tans, a nickname for British special constables during the Irish War of Independence. By extension "Tans" can now also colloquially refer to English people, English or British peopl ...

, and a daughter, Tan Suat Neo. Ang died during childbirth in 1898. Tan's daughter died on 7 April 1909 from malaria, four years after her marriage. Tan later remarried to Ang's sister, Ang Geok Hean. In 1911, Ang began suffering from

uremia Uremia is the term for high levels of urea in the blood. Urea is one of the primary components of urine. It can be defined as an excess of amino acid and protein metabolism end products, such as urea and creatinine, in the blood that would be nor ...

and

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

. Despite this, she decided to accompany Tan to London to represent the colony, staying at the

Hilton London Metropole The Hilton London Metropole is a 1,059-room 4-star hotel and conference centre located on Edgware Road in central London. It is bounded by the Marylebone Flyover to the north, Praed Street to the south, and the Paddington Basin development to th ...

. However, she died on 4 August due to a heart failure and was buried in London. Her death was announced on 11 August. Following this, Tan remarried to the youngest daughter of the Ang family, Ang Geok Lan. Geok Lan died on 1 October 1925.

Death

Tan died on 22 October 1917 from a heart failure caused by

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

. His funeral was held on 28 October. After the funeral, Tan was buried in his family's private cemetery along Alexandra Road in

Bukit Merah Bukit Merah, also known as Redhill, is a planning area and new town situated in the southernmost part of the Central Region of Singapore. the planning area borders Tanglin to the north, Queenstown to the west and the Downtown Core, Outram an ...

Legacy

Jiak Kim Street and

Jiak Kim Bridge The Jiak Kim Bridge () is a pedestrian bridge in Singapore. The bridge spans the Singapore River near Robertson Quay Robertson Quay is a wharf near the source of the Singapore River. It is the largest and most upstream of the three wharfs (th ...

were named after Tan after his death. In 2012, Tan's fountain, which had been traded away to

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 ...

, Malaysia after his death, was returned to Singapore.

References

{{Reflist 1859 births 1917 deaths Singaporean philanthropists People of British Singapore