Tan Tock Seng

Tan Tock Seng was born in Malacca in 1798 to a Chinese Fujianese immigrant father and local Peranakan mother.[1] He left for Singapore in 1819 at the age of 21, the same year Stamford Raffles established a trading base on the island under the British East India Company.[2][3] Tan made a living by selling vegetables, fruits, fish and other produce in the newly-built city center and eventually earned enough to open a store at Boat Quay in 1827. The store was situated at the mouth of the Singapore River.[4]

He then invested in the J. H. Whitehead of Shaw, Whitehead & Company and engaged in property speculation, becoming wealthy in the process and acquiring large tracts of prime land. Tan owned 50 acres (200,000 m²) near the Tanjong Pagar railway station, disjointed land parcels from the Padang leading up to High Street and Tank Road, several Ellenborough Building shophouses, and even a fruit plantation.[4][5]

Tan became an influential Chinese leader and was the first Asian to be appointed Justice of the Peace by Governor William John Butterworth.[5] He was also granted the title of Kapitan Cina (Captain of the Chinese) for settling feuds and assisting new Chinese immigrants upon their arrival to Singapore.[4] The founding of Thian Hock Keng temple was led by Tan for the Hokkien community and still exists at Telok Ayer Street today.[6]

His most famous donation was a $5,000 contribution to the construction of the Chinese Pauper Hospital in 1844, which was named after its benefactor on its opening and referred to colloquially as "Tan Tock Seng hospital".[3] The hospital later relocated to the corner of Serangoon Road and Balestier Road in 1860, and a female wing was funded by Tan's widow Lee Seo Neo in 1867.[3]

Original hospital between 1844 and 1850

Tan died on 24 February 1850 at the age of 52 after falling ill, leaving behind his wife, three sons and three daughters.[7] His initial burial location is unknown but his remains were re-interred at Outram Hill around 1882.[8] The modern day Tan Tock Seng Hospital and adjacent road Jalan Tan Tock Seng still bears his name.[3]

• National Library Board article on Tan Tock Seng