Jaafar Muhammad

Dato' Jaafar bin Haji Muhammad (Jawi: جعفر بن محمد, b. 1838 – d. 3 July 1919) D.K., S.P.M.J., C.M.G.[1] was the first and longest serving Dato' Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of the independent kingdom of Johor (today a state in the Malaysian Federation), an office he held from 1886 until his death.

In this Malay name, there is no family name. The name Muhammad is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Jaafar. The Arabic-derived word "bin" or "binti"/"binte", if used, means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.
Yang Berhormat Dato'
Jaafar Haji Muhammad
DK (Johor) SPMJ CMG
1st Menteri Besar of Johor
In office
1886–1919
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byMohamed Mahbob
Personal details
Born1838
Teluk Belanga, Singapore, Straits Settlements
Died3 July 1919(1919-07-03) (aged 80–81)
Bukit Senyum, Johor Bahru, Johor
Resting placeMahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum
RelationsHussein Onn (grandson)
Hishammuddin Hussein (great-grandson)
Onn Hafiz Ghazi
(great-great-grandson)
ChildrenOnn Jaafar

Early life

Jaafar was born in Teluk Belanga, Singapore, Straits Settlements. He also received Malay and English education.

Career

He began serving with the Johor state government at the age of 16, working as a trainee clerk in the Office of the Minister Raja Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim. In 1856 he was appointed clerk in the Office of the Minister, and then he served as deputy for the Chief Minister until 1882. He was Sultan Abu Bakar's escort in the latter's first trip to Europe in 1866. He took office when Temenggong Abu Bakar made himself Sultan and created a bureaucratic administration for Johor in 1885. During his term as Chief Minister, Jaafar was tasked to carry out state administration for the time he went overseas. His residence for most of the latter part of his life was Istana Bukit Senyum which was built in 1883 and a high school behind the palace, Sekolah Dato' Jaafar is named after him. In 1904 he was appointed by Sultan Ibrahim, Abu Bakar's son and successor as regent.[2]

Personal life

Jaafar was married five times with five wives,[3] Esah bte Ibrahim, Emon bte Abu Talib, Datin Selamah Ambak and Rogayah Hanim.[4] Three of his sons were also Menteri Besar after him, including the father of modern Malay nationalism, Dato' Onn Jaafar.

Death

He died in 1919 in Bukit Senyum, Johor Bahru and was buried with full honors at the Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum.

Honours

References
  1. "Datuk Jaafar Haji Mohamad D.K., S.P.M.J., C.M.G., Menteri Besar Johor yang pertama 1886-1919". Jebat: Malaysian Journal of History, Politics and Strategic Studies. 02: 1–6. 1972.
  2. "Liberation, Scholars & Legendary Review; Dato Jaafar Bin Haji Muhammad ( 1838 - 1919 )". Blogspot.
  3. "Malaysian Families: Taking root, branching out". The Star. 5 July 2013. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  4. "Malaysian Families: Taking root, branching out". The Star. 5 July 2013. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
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