Thian Hee or Thianhee Sarasin ( th, เทียนฮี้ สารสิน; ) was also known by his

noble title Traditional rank amongst European royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to another's grand duke), ...

Phraya Sarasinsawamiphak. Thian Hee () (1848–1925) was born in Thailand to a Chinese father. He came from a line of wealthy rice traders and pharmacists who had immigrated from

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

Province, China to reside in the largely mercantile

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi ( th, ธนบุรี) is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which is ...

across the river from Bangkok. At a young age he was taken to the US by a missionary to pursue his studies. He is noted as being the first Thai to have studied in the US. He finished his studies in medicine at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1871. He returned to Thailand as the country's first ever medical doctor. He became a prominent military doctor and accompanied the army on expeditions to Laos under Chao Phraya Surasakdi Montri during the Haw Wars of 1865-1890.

Malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

proved to be a more formidable foe than the Haw and Thian Hee was largely occupied with administering quinine to afflicted troops. A photograph now on view at

Vimanmek Mansion , former_names = , alternate_names = , image = VimanmekMansion.jpg , image_alt = , caption = Vimanmek Mansion, built in 1900 by King Chulalongkorn. , map_type = Thailand , map_alt ...

depicts Thian Hee handing the last bottle of

quinine Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to ''Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg cr ...

to the commanding general to prove the scarcity of their supplies. Among his activities in Laos as part of an occupational force was the imposition of a partially successful ban on the practice of using witch doctors and

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

to heal the local populace of illnesses. Thian Hee later returned to his family profession as a rice trader and became one of the country's most influential merchants. He acted as a financial advisor to Queen

Savang Vadhana Sri Savarindira ( th, ศรีสวรินทิรา; , 10 September 1862 – 17 December 1955), also known as Savang Vadhana ( th, สว่างวัฒนา; ), was a consort and half-sister of Chulalongkorn (Rama V), but she was no ...

, often serving as intermediary between the palace and the largely insular Chinese merchant community. He amassed wealth as a co-founder of

Siam Cement The Siam Cement Public Company Limited (SCG; ) is the largest and oldest cement and building material company in Thailand and Southeast Asia. In 2016, SCG was also ranked as the second largest company in Thailand and the 604th largest public compan ...

, a conglomerate now the second largest company in Thailand. As an act of gratitude to the missionary who had supported him as a child, Thian Hee funded the construction of Thailand's fourth Presbyterian church, Suebsamphanthawong Church, in 1902 on his own plot of land in Si Lom. In 1925, following his death, he was interred next to the church in a mausoleum in the family cemetery. Thian Hee was the founder of the illustrious Sarasin family. He was the father of

Pote Sarasin Pote Sarasin ( th, พจน์ สารสิน, , ; 25 March 1905 – 28 September 2000) was the 9th Prime Minister of Thailand from the influential Sarasin family. He served as foreign minister from 1949 to 1950 and then served as ambassad ...

who became the first secretary general of SEATO and the ninth prime minister of Thailand. Thian Hee's official title was

Phraya The Thai nobility was a social class comprising titled officials (''khunnang'', th, ขุนนาง) in the service of Thai monarchy, the monarchy. They formed part of a hierarchical social system which developed from the time of the Ayutthaya K ...

Sarasinsawamiphakh. The title "phraya" is now obsolete. It was the second highest feudal title a person could be given and is the equivalent of "

marquis A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

" in the West.

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Further reading