Tan Jiak Kim

Tan Jiak Kim CMG (29 April 1859 - 22 October 1917) was a Peranakan merchant, political activist and philanthropist from Singapore. He co-founded the Straits Chinese British Association along with Lim Boon Keng, Seah Liang Seah and Song Ong Siang.

Tan Jiak Kim
陳若锦
Tan Jiak Kim's portrait by Cas Punting
Born(1859-04-29)29 April 1859
Colony of Singapore
Died22 October 1917(1917-10-22) (aged 58)
Colony of Singapore
Spouses
Ang Geok Hoe
​
​
(m. 1878; died 1898)​
    Ang Geok Hean
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1908; died 1911)​
      Ang Geok Lan
      ​
      ​
      (m. 1911; died 1925)​
      Children1 son and 1 daughter with Ang Geok Hoe and another daughter with an unknown mother

      Early life

      Tan was born on 29 April 1859 as the eldest son of merchant and philanthropist Tan Beng Swee and his wife Seet Kenh Neo, a sibling of Tan Jiak Chuan, and the grandson of businessman and philanthropist Tan Kim Seng.[1] Besides Chinese, he could also speak Malay and English.[1] 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.[2]

      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.[3][4] He had resigned as his term had expired and he wished to retire from the legislative council as an unofficial member.[5] By then, he had already built himself a reputation as a philanthropist, and was popular in his position.[6][7] 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, and thus rejoined the legislative council as an unofficial member.[8] In 1901, he and his son went on a visit to Europe.[9][10] Tan represented the colony at the coronation celebrations of 1911 in London along with Hugh Fort.[11]

      On 3 April 1912, Tan was awarded the Order of St Michael and St George for his assistance to the legislative council, and for his philanthropy.[12] After receiving the award, he stated that he wished that more Asians would be awarded with the award.[13][14]

      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.[15][16] Tan retired from his position as an unofficial member of the legislative council in March 1916.[17] Despite his health, there were initially hopes of him recovering and returning to the legislative council.[18] Following his resignation, Lee Choon Guan proposed for a portrait of Tan to be commissioned and hung in the Victoria Memorial Hall.[19] The proposal was supported by Lim Boon Keng, and a fundraiser for Tan's portrait was soon held, with $20 being the maximum someone could donate.[20][21]

      Straits Chinese British Association

      Tan, Seah Liang Seah, Lim Boon Keng and Song Ong Siang 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.[22] 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.[23]

      Philanthropy

      In 1896, Tan introduced the "Tan Jiak Kim Scholarship" in Raffles Institution, which any male student could compete for.[24] This occurred while he was a trustee of the institution's board.[1] In 1895, following the collapse of a building, Tan donated money to victims of the collapse.[25][26] 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.[27][28] By November 1904, he had managed to raise $37,000 for the college.[29] By 1905, $87,000 had been raised, $12,000 which had been donated by Tan.[22] Another $15,000 of the raised funds came from rubber tycoon Tan Chay Yan.[30] Tan and Seah managed to raise a further $120,000 to expand the school, and provided it with a $1,500 scholarship.[22][1] Tan donated $37,000 to the Prince of Wales Relief Fund during World War I to aid the British in buying battle planes.[22]

      Personal life

      Tan lived along River Valley Road in the Panglima Prang bungalow. In 1878, Tan married Ang Geok Hoe. Both of them had 2 children, a son, Tan Soo Bin,[31] and a daughter, Tan Suat Neo.[32][33] Ang died during childbirth in 1898.[2] Tan's daughter died on 7 April 1909 from malaria, four years after her marriage.[34]

      Tan later remarried to Ang's sister, Ang Geok Hean.[1][2] In 1911, Ang began suffering from uremia and pneumonia.[35] Despite this, she decided to accompany Tan to London to represent the colony, staying at the Hilton London Metropole.[36][37] However, she died on 4 August due to a heart failure and was buried in London.[38] Her death was announced on 11 August.[39][40]

      Following this, Tan remarried to the youngest daughter of the Ang family, Ang Geok Lan.[2] Geok Lan died on 1 October 1925.[41][42]

      Death

      Tan died on 22 October 1917 from a heart failure caused by diabetes.[43][44] His funeral was held on 28 October.[45][46] After the funeral, Tan was buried in his family's private cemetery along Alexandra Road in Bukit Merah.[47]

      Legacy

      Jiak Kim Street and Jiak Kim Bridge were named after Tan after his death.[48][49]

      In 2012, Tan's fountain, which had been traded away to Penang, Malaysia after his death, was returned to Singapore.[50][51]

      References
      1. Tay, Charmaine. "Tan Jiak Kim". Singapore Infopedia. National Library Board. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      2. Chew, Phyllis (15 June 2013). Tan Jiak Kim (1859-1917). Singapore: National University of Singapore.
      3. "Straits Chinese and Public Life". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 13 July 1987. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
      4. "Resignation of Mr. Tan Jiak Kim". Straits Times Weekly Issue. Singapore. 7 November 1993. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      5. "The Resignation of Mr. Tan Jiak Kim". Straits Times Weekly Issue. Singapore. 7 November 1993. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      6. "The Resignation of Mr. Tan Jiak Kim". Daily Advertiser. Singapore. 22 December 1892. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      7. "Resignation of the Hon'ble Tan Jiak Kim". Daily Advertiser. Singapore. 7 November 1892. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      8. "Central Ward Election". Daily Advertiser. Singapore. 27 April 1894. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      9. "Mr. Tan Jiak Kim on Tour". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (Weekly). Singapore. 12 September 1901. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      10. "Mr. Tan Jiak Kim". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 14 September 1901. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      11. "The New Year's Honours". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (Weekly). Singapore. 4 January 1912. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      12. "Mr. Jiak Kim Honoured". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (Weekly). Singapore. 4 April 1912. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      13. "Tan Jiak Kim, C. M. G." Straits Echo. Singapore. 4 April 1912. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      14. "Hon.Jiak Kim Honoured". Straits Echo. Singapore. 6 April 1909. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      15. "The Hon. Tan Jiak Kim, C.M.G." The Straits Times. Singapore. 29 May 1915. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      16. "Hon'ble Mr. Tan Jiak Kim, C.M.G." The Malaya Tribune. Singapore. 1 June 1915. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      17. "Mr. Tan Jiak Kim, C.M.G." The Straits Budget. Singapore. 30 March 1916. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      18. "The Hon. Tan Jiak Kim, C.M.G." The Straits Budget. Singapore. 3 June 1915. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
      19. "Honour to Whom Honour is Due". Malaya Tribune. Singapore. 12 April 1916. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
      20. "Tan Jiak Kim Portrait Fund". Straits Echo. Singapore. 13 June 1916. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
      21. "Tan Jiak Kim Portrait Fund". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 16 June 1916. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
      22. Yong, Ching Fatt (1992). Chinese leadership and power in colonial Singapore. Singapore: Times Academic Press. ISBN 9812100288.
      23. "Wednesday, Jan. 30, 1907. Straits Chinese British Association". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (Weekly). Singapore. 31 January 1907. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      24. "A scholarship". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 8 December 1896. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      25. "The Mid-day Herald. Singapore, Thursday Dec. 5, 1895 Mr. Tan Jiak Kim". The Mid-day Herald. Singapore. 15 December 1895. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      26. "Mr. Tan Jiak Kim". The Mid-day Herald. Singapore. 29 October 1895. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      27. "Straits Medical College". Straits Echo. Singapore. 15 October 1904. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      28. "Straits Medical College". Straits Echo. Singapore. 14 October 1904. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      29. "Medical College". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 10 November 1904. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      30. "Tan Teck Guan Building". Roots. National Heritage Board. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
      31. "MR TAN SOO BIN". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
      32. "A Costly Coffin". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 11 November 1898. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      33. "A Lady's Funeral". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 17 November 1898. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      34. "Obituary". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
      35. "Death of Mrs. Tan Jiak Kim". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 17 August 1911. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      36. "Mrs. Tan Jiak Kim". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. Singapore. 9 September 1911. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      37. "Buckingham Palace Levee". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 29 June 1911. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      38. "Channel Swim". Straits Echo. Singapore. 7 September 1911. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      39. "Death of Mrs. Tan Jiak Kim". The Straits Times. Singapore. 12 August 1911. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      40. "Death of Mrs. Tan Jiak Kim". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. Singapore. 14 August 1911. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
      41. "Death of Mrs. Tan Jiak Kim". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 2 October 1925. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
      42. "Death of Mrs. Tan Jiak Kim". The Straits Times. Singapore. 1 October 1925. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
      43. "Death of Mr. Tan Jiak Kim, C.M.G. A Long Career of Public Service". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 26 October 1917. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
      44. "Death of Mr. Tan Jiak Kim". Straits Echo. Singapore. 22 October 1917. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
      45. "The Late Mr. Tan Jiak Kim". The Straits Times. Singapore. 29 October 1917. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
      46. "The Late Mr. Tan Jiak Kim Large Attendance at the Funeral Yesterday". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 2 November 1917. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
      47. "Philanthropist's 'missing' grave found". The Straits Times. Singapore. 14 December 2015.
      48. "It is my grandfather's road... ...but I hardly think about it". The New Paper. Singapore. 4 February 2001.
      49. Chandy, Gloria (27 August 1979). "3 generations of generosity". New Nation. Singapore. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
      50. Ho, Kim (2 September 2012). "How Tan Jiak Kim's fountain came home". The Straits Times. Singapore.
      51. "Sharing art with all". The Straits Times. Singapore. 9 September 2012.
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