Tan Tock Seng

Tan Tock Seng (zh-stp |s=陈笃生 |t=陳篤生 |p=Chén Dǔshēng; 1798-1850) was a Singaporean merchant and philanthropist. Born in Malacca in 1798 [One Hundred Years' History of the Chinese in Singapore] to an immigrant Fukien (Hokkien) father and Hokkien Peranakan mother, Tan rose from humble origins. In 1819, Tan moved to Singapore to sell fruit, vegetable and fowl. He worked diligently and was able to set up a shop in Boat Quay and became a notable businessman.

Most of his wealth came from the results of his speculations with J. H. Whitehead of Shaw, Whitehead & Co. Horrocks Whitehead died in September 1946 at the age of 36. His tombstone at the old cemerary on Fort Canning was erected, "as a token of affection on the part of a Chinese friend, Tan Tock Seng."

Tan also owned large tracts of prime land, including 50 acres (200,000 m²) at the site of the railway station and another plot stretching from the Padang right up to High Street and Tank Road. His other assets were a block of shophouses, an orchard and a nutmeg plantation which he co-owned with his brother. In time, he became an influential Chinese leader and was the first Asian to be made a Justice of the Peace by Governor Butterworth. He was skillful at settling feuds among the Chinese and was accustomed to bear the expenses of burying poor Chinese. In 1844, he contributed $5,000 to the construction of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital on top of Pearl's Hill. The hospital was later shifted to Tan Tock Seng Road because the building at Pearl's Hill was too small to cater to enough patients and it was too old. Tan also contributed money to the construction of the Taoist Thian Hock Keng Temple at Telok Ayer in 1842, the place of worship for the settlers from the Fujian province of China.

Tan Tock Seng died in 1850 at the age of 52, after catching an unknown disease. He left his wife Lee Seo Neo, who owned a large coconut estate in Geylang. Like him, she was unstinting in her support of the hospital and paid for a female ward. He also left behind three daughters, who were each bequeathed $36,000 in cash. One of his daughters married Lee Cheng Tee, at one time Chief Partner of Cheng-Tee Watt-Seng & Co., shipowners. His three sons (Tan King Ching, Tan Teck Guan and Tan Swee Lim) inherited his land parcels and the eldest, Tan Kim Ching, took over the duty of taking care of the hospital. Tan's grandson, Tan Chay Yan, was a well-known philanthropist and merchant in Malaya.

References

External links

* [http://www.ttsh.com.sg/asp/mis/mis53.asp Tan Tock Seng Hospital]
* [http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:1576943&id=I50 Genealogy of Tan Tock Seng]