Tan Kim Seng

Tan Kim Seng (simplified Chinese: 陈金声; traditional Chinese: 陳金聲; pinyin: Chén Jīn Shēng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Kim-seng; 1805-1864) was a prominent Peranakan merchant and philanthropist in Singapore in the 19th century.

Born in Malacca in 1805, Tan came to Singapore where he made a fortune as a trader. Tan started his firm, Kim Seng and Company, in 1840 and amassed a large fortune in his lifetime. His public acts of charity includes endowing a Chinese Free School, supporting the , and improving the public waterworks in 19th century Singapore.

Tan donated generously to the building and maintenance of a school for boys known as the Chinese Free School or Chui Eng Institute. The school was originally taught in Hokkien and was one of the better schools of the time.

One of Tan's best-known donations was the sum of S$13,000 in 1857 towards building Singapore's first public waterworks to ensure a better freshwater supply to the town. The Tan Kim Seng Fountain was erected by the Municipal Commissioners to commemorate Tan's donation. However, his donation was squandered away by the Government Engineer, who hoped to make water run uphill through water pipes. In 1882, possibly out of shame and to mark the British colonial government's appreciation for such a generous gift, the fountain was installed in Fullerton Square to perpetuate his name. The fountain was moved to Battery Road in 1905 and later in 1925 to the Esplanade Park where it now stands.

Tan was also the first magistrate of Chinese descent in Singapore. He was the acknowledged Chinese leader in Singapore and Malacca, and was made a Justice of the Peace in 1850, after his father's death. He was appointed the Municipal Commission's first Asian member in 1857. His numerous contributions to the society includes the suppression of the secret society riots in 1854 between the Cantonese and the Hoklo (Hokkien) communities.

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