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Tan Seng Poh (1830 - 13 December 1879), was a chairman of the Singapore Municipal Committee, a Justice of the Peace and an honorary magistrate.


Biography

Tan was born in 1830 in
Ipoh Ipoh (, ) is the capital city of the Malaysian States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Perak. Located on the Kinta River, it is nearly north of Kuala Lumpur and southeast of George Town, Penang, George Town in neighbouring Penang ...
, as the son of Tan Ah Hun, the
Kapitan Cina Kapitan Cina, also spelled Kapitan China or Capitan China or Capitan Chino (; ; ; ), was a high-ranking government position in the civil administration of colonial Indonesia, Malaya, Singapore, Borneo and the Philippines. Office holders exercis ...
of
Perak Perak (; Perak Malay: ''Peghok'') is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kel ...
. When he was nine, his sister married wealthy merchant
Seah Eu Chin Seah Eu Chin (; Pseudonym, a.k.a. Siah U-chin, Seah Uchin or Seah You Chin; 18051883) was an immigrant from South China to Singapore, later becoming a successful merchant, a prominent descendant of She (surname), Seah Clan and leader in the Ov ...
, and he followed them to the Colony of Singapore, becoming the right-hand man of Seah. He was in good terms with Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor, and gained the patent right to sell
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 ...
in
Johor Johor, also spelled Johore,'' is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore ...
. Through the opium trade, he managed to make a fortune. When Seah retired in 1864, Tan took over Seah's business. In 1865, he succeeded in raising $500 for scholarships for European and Eurasian scholars. On 31 July 1869, Tan and Lee Cheng Tee launched a new gunpowder magazine in Tanah Merah. In 1871, Tan was appointed the chairman of the Singapore Municipal Committee, and was the first Chinese to serve in the committee. In 1872, he was made a Justice of the Peace and an honorary magistrate. When his term expired in 1873, he offered himself for re-election, and won against E. J. Wells. In 1879, after his term expired, he offered himself for re-election, but lost to Edwin Koek.


Personal life

Tan had two sons, Tan Keng Swee and Tan Keng Wah. Tan's residence, known as the House of Tan Seng Poh, was commonly regarded as one of four well-known Chinese-style mansions in Singapore. Tan died on 13 December 1879, and his funeral was held on 26 January 1880, on the same day as the funeral of Chua Moh Choon. Seng Poh Road and Seng Poh Lane were named after him.


References

{{Reflist 1830 births 1879 deaths People from British Singapore