Tan Chye Cheng (; 1911 – 6 March 1991), also known as C. C. Tan, was a

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

an lawyer and politician.

Biography

Born in Singapore, Tan was the only child of Tan Guan Chua, a member of the Chinese Advisory Board and the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce committee.Portrait of Mr. C.C. Tan, Member of Singapore Legislative Council
BooksSGLeo Suryadinata (2012)
Southeast Asian Personalities of Chinese Descent: A Biographical Dictionary, Volume I & II
', Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, p1065 He was educated at the

St. Joseph's Institution St. Joseph's Institution (SJI) is an independent Catholic educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1852 by the De La Salle Brothers, it is the first Catholic school and the third oldest school in the country. SJI has been offering a dual ...

school, leaving in 1928. He won a scholarship to attend St Joseph's Academy in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where he became friends with

Ong Hock Thye Tan Sri Ong Hock Thye (1908–1977), PMN, PSM, DPMS, also known as H. T. Ong, was Chief Judge of Malaya (known as Chief Justice of Malaya prior to 1994) (8 Nov 1968 – 31 Aug 1973) and a Barrister-at-Law of Middle Temple. He was the son of Mr. ...

. Tan was admitted to the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

in 1928, passing his final exam in 1931. He had to wait until turning 21 in 1932 before being called to the

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

. He returned to Singapore and was called to the Bar in 1933. He initially worked at Aubrey Davies & Company, later moving to Rodyk & Davidson, where he remained until the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1939 Tan married Joyce Lim Chin Lien in Singapore. They moved to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

during World War II, returning to the island after the end of the war. His daughter,

Margaret Leng Tan Margaret Leng Tan () is a classical music artist known for her work as a professional toy pianist, performing in major cities around the world on her 51 cm-high toy pianos. She is also known to be a classical music performer using unconventio ...

, became a musician. After returning from India, Tan became involved in politics. He was appointed to the Advisory Council in 1946, serving until the following year, when he was amongst the founders of the Progressive Party in August 1947 and, despite not being a good public speaker, became its first president. In the first

general elections A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...

in 1948, Tan was elected in the Municipal South-West constituency with 42% of the vote, beating Nazir Ahmad Mallal by 69 votes. The elections saw the PP win three of the six elected seats. In the 1951 elections Tan ran in the Tanglin constituency, receiving 80% of the vote against his Labour Party rival, with the PP winning six of the nine elected seats. In 1954 he was part of the nine-man panel led by

George William Rendel Sir George William Rendel (23 February 1889 – 6 May 1979) was a British diplomat.Eid Al Yahya, ''Travellers in Arabia'', (Stacey International, 2006). Early life and education Rendel, the son of the engineer George Wightwick Rendel was educ ...

that reviewed the territory's constitution, leading to the promulgation of a new one. However, Tan lost his seat in the 1955 elections; he ran in the Cairnhill constituency against

Labour Front The Labour Front (abbreviation: LF), was a political party in Singapore that operated from 1955 to 1960. It won the 1955 legislative assembly election, and lasted for one term as the ruling coalition. History LF was founded in 25 August 1954 ...

leader David Marshall, with Marshall receiving 48% of the vote to Tan's 36%. The PP won only four of the 25 seats, with the Labour Front winning 10. As a result, Marshall became the island's first

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

. Tan had been one of the founders of the Tan, Rajah & Cheah law firm in 1947, and later became president of the Bar Committee and first president of the Law Society. He served as president of the Singapore Olympic Sports Council from 1951 until 1962, and as chairman of

the Straits Times ''The Straits Times'' (also known informally by its abbreviation ''ST'') is a Singaporean daily English-language newspaper owned by the SPH Media Trust. Established on 15 July 1845, it is the most-widely circulated newspaper in the country and ...

press between 1974 and 1982.Justin Corfield (2010) ''Historical Dictionary of Singapore'', Scarecrow Press, p260 He died of heart failure at age 80 on 6 March 1991.

Legacy

In 2003 the Law Society created the C.C. Tan award, which is awarded to a member exemplifying the virtues of "honesty, fair play and personal integrity".

References

{{reflist 1911 births 20th-century Singaporean lawyers Progressive Party (Singapore) politicians Members of the Legislative Council of Singapore Singaporean politicians of Chinese descent Saint Joseph's Institution, Singapore alumni 1991 deaths