About the Founder, Tan Tock Seng

Tan Tock Seng (1798-1850)

Tan Tock Seng, a Hokkien merchant, landowner, entrepreneur and philanthropist, started as a humble vegetable seller and rose to become one of Singapore's early Chinese leaders. He was the first Asian to be appointed Justice of the Peace (JP) by the Governor Butterworth. His role in helping the early Chinese immigrants settle disputes earned him the title "Captain of the Chinese". In 1844, he helped set up a hospital for the poor which now bears his name.

Early life
He left Malacca and came to Singapore in 1819 at the age of 21. The enterprising young man started as a vegetable seller, bringing produce from the countryside to sell in the city. He was hardworking and scrimped on every cent he made. Eventually, with his savings, he opened a shop along the riverside at Boat Quay in 1827.

Businessman
Through a joint business with J. H. Whitehead of Shaw, Whitehead & Co., Tan Tock Seng eventually became a wealthy businessman. His landed properties included 50 acres of land where the railway station at Tanjong Pagar is located, and the plot of land from the Padang to High Street and Tank Road. He also owned a block of shop houses at Ellenborough Building and a 14-acre fruit plantation opposite the St Andrew's Mission Hospital.

Philanthropist
Tan Tock Seng contributed generously to charity and became a renowned philanthropist amongst the Chinese. He was known to provide burial costs for the Chinese poor. His most famous gesture was the donation of Spanish $7,000 to the building of the Chinese Pauper's Hospital (later to be named after him , the Tan Tock Seng Hospital or TTSH) in 1844 at Pearl's Hill. The building was designed by John Turnbull Thomson and it was opened in 1849. He was also a founder of the Thian Hock Keng Temple at Telok Ayer Street, Singapore's oldest temple, which had been the centre of worship for the Fujian Chinese.

Tan died at age 52. His grave lies along the grassy slope next to Jubilee Church, 256 Outram Road, Singapore.