Joseph Aaron Elias (1881 — 16 July 1949) was a Jewish businessman and a member of the

Municipal Commission of Singapore The Municipal Commission of Singapore was a body created in 1887 by the British colonial government to replace the Municipal Committee that was created in June 1848. The role of the commission was to manage key services for the Town of Singapo ...

Early life

Elias was born in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

in 1881. He was the eldest son of Aaron and Sarina Elias. His father was involved in the

opium Opium (also known as poppy tears, or Lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the seed Capsule (fruit), capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid mor ...

trade (in which many Jews in SE Asia participated), and had become very wealthy from it.

Career

Elias founded the Tampenis Cement Tile Works, which manufactured flooring tiles and imitation marble. However, he later sold the company off. He was the director and an investor to several companies, including Pajan Rubber Plantation, Indragiri Rubber Estate, Kuchai Tin Mines and Linguis Tin Mines. He also established the Singapore Building Corporation, as well as Fresh Food and Refrigerator Co. Ltd., a refrigeration business which was sold to

Cold Storage Tim Wright, known professionally as CoLD SToRAGE (stylised as CoLD SToRAGE), is a Welsh video game music composer best known for his work on ''Wipeout 2097''. His compositions for the game drew on 1990s UK big beat and electronic music trends ...

in 1931. He was a director of '' The Malaya Tribune'' and owned the Pavilion Cinema on

Orchard Road Orchard Road, often known colloquially as simply Orchard, is a major -long road in the Central Area, Singapore, Central Area of Singapore. A famous tourist attraction, it is an upscale shopping area, with numerous internationally renowned de ...

. In 1918, Elias was made a Justice of the Peace. In 1920, he became a member of the

. In 1927, he was made a trustee of the

Singapore Improvement Trust The Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) is a former government organisation that was responsible for urban planning and urban renewal in Singapore. Formally established in 1927 under the Singapore Improvement Ordinance, it was modelled after sim ...

. In 1929, he was made a trustee of the

Maghain Aboth Synagogue The Maghain Aboth Synagogue (, or 'Shield of our Fathers') is an Hasidic Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 24/26 Waterloo Street in Rochor, within the Central Area of Singapore. Constructed in 1878, it is the oldest and largest Je ...

. He was also a member of the Housing Commission.

Personal life

Elias was a horse-racing enthusiast, and owned a stable on Grange Road. He was among the first to import racehorses into Singapore. He was also a motor enthusiast. Elias died on 16 July 1949. Elias Road, Elias Green and Elias Terrace were named after him.

References

{{Reflist 1881 births 1941 deaths