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Tan Thoon Lip

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In this Chinese name, the family name is Tan.
John Tan Thoon Lip
Born
Tan Thoon Lip

(1910-02-22)22 February 1910
Singapore, Straits Settlements, British Malaya
Died14 March 1959(1959-03-14) (aged 49)
State of Singapore
Alma materSt John's College, Cambridge (LLB, BA)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese陳敦立
Simplified Chinese陈敦立
Hanyu PinyinChén Dūnlì
IPA[ʈʂʰə̌n.twə́n.lî]

John Tan Thoon Lip (22 February 1910 – 14 March 1959) was a Singaporean lawyer and the first locally-born registrar of the Supreme Court.[1][2][3]

Early life and education

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On 22 February 1910, Tan was born into a Chinese family, and his sister was Maggie Tan.[4][5] His father, Tan Kwee Swee, was the grandson of businessman Tan Kim Ching and great-grandson of philanthropist Tan Tock Seng.[6][7]

Tan studied at the Anglo-Chinese School and later at Raffles Instituition (RI). In 1926, Tan completed a Senior Cambridge with honours.[8]

In 1929, Tan was the first Queen's Scholar from Singapore since its revival in 1924, and he also broke the monopoly of Queen's Scholars coming from Penang schools in the past five years. To celebrate his achievement, RI declared a holiday on 24 January 1930.[6][9] On 8 August 1930, Tan left Singapore for England on SS Kalyan, and enrolled in St. John's College to study law.[10] In August 1933 and August 1934 respectively, Tan obtained a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws.[11]

Career

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In 1934, together with Stanley Toft Stewart, both individuals were the first two to be selected to work in the Straits Settlements Civil Service, and Tan was appointed to work as an assistant official assignee in the court.[12][13] On 10 August 1935, Tan was enrolled as an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court.[14]

In December 1936, Tan was transferred to Malacca.[15] Shortly after, on 1 March 1937, Tan was transferred back to Singapore to be appointed as the first Chinese locally-born magistrate.[5][16] During the Japanese occupation of Singapore, Tan worked in the Office of the Custodian of Enemy Property, but was soon arrested in late 1942.[17] Tan was accused of corruption and interrogated about a Japanese colleague that was distrusted by the Japanese authorities, and he was also starved, beaten and waterboarded while in custody. Upon his release, he was offered a job by the Japanese to work in the Military Administration, and Tan accepted the job for his own safety.[18][19]

In October 1947, Tan was promoted from the Straits Settlements Legal Service to the Colonial Legal Service, and in November 1947, Tan was promoted to serve as the acting registrar of the Supreme Court.[20][21] On 13 January 1951, Tan was the first locally-born individual to be serve as registrar of the Supreme Court.[2] To deal with a congestion in Singapore's courts, Tan sent an urgent request to the Colonial Secretary of Singapore Wilfred Lawson Blythe for three more magistrates.[22] Tan was also sent to New South Wales by Chief Minister David Marshall to study the free legal aid system, and the Free Legal Aid Bill was passed on 6 June 1956 based on recommendations provided by Tan.[23][24][25]

On 14 January 1957, Tan retired as registrar because of ill health.[26]

Personal life

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On 14 March 1959, Tan died at the General Hospital after battling a long illness.[27][28][29] An orchid hybrid, Vanda memoria Tan Thoon Lip, was named after him.[30]

Bibliography

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  • Tan, Thoon Lip (1946). Kempeitai Kindness. Singapore: Malayan Law Journal.

References

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  1. ^ "DEATH". The Straits Times. 15 March 1959. p. 20. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Tan Promoted Court Registrar". Singapore Tiger Standard. 3 February 1952. p. 3. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  3. ^ "前高等法院主簿陳敦立逝世安葬基督敎墳塲司法律政界咸表悲悼". Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). 16 March 1959. p. 5. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  4. ^ "MISS MAGGIE TAN – QUEEN'S SCHOLAR". Straits Budget. 29 January 1931. p. 25. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b "CHINESE BECOMES MAGISTRATE: FIRST APPOINTMENT IN SINGAPORE". Malaya Tribune. 26 February 1937. p. 9. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  6. ^ a b "QUEEN'S SCHOLARS: Award Comes to Singapore At Last". The Straits Times. 2 January 1930. p. 13. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  7. ^ "SOCIAL AND PERSONAL". Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle. 27 January 1930. p. 11. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  8. ^ "CAMBRIDGE RESULTS PUBLISHED: Many Singaporeans Pass Local Examinations". Malaya Tribune. 5 April 1926. p. 8. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  9. ^ "SINGAPORE'S SUCCESS: Raffles Institution Takes A Holiday". The Straits Times. 24 January 1930. p. 14. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  10. ^ "SOCIAL AND PERSONAL". Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle. 1 August 1930. p. 7. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  11. ^ "SOCIAL AND PERSONAL". Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle. 30 November 1933. p. 4. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  12. ^ "STRAITS CIVIL SERVICE". Malaya Tribune. 11 July 1934. p. 9. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  13. ^ "Untitled". Singapore Free Press. 15 September 1934. p. 8. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  14. ^ "BAR ENROLMENTS". Malaya Tribune. 10 August 1935. p. 12. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  15. ^ "Untitled". Malaya Tribune. 9 December 1936. p. 15. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  16. ^ "Chinese Magistrate For Singapore Bench". The Straits Times. 26 February 1937. p. 12. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  17. ^ Low, N. I. (2017). When Singapore Was Syonan-To. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish. ISBN 978-9-8147-9427-5.
  18. ^ Tan, Thoon Lip (1946). Kempeitai Kindness. Singapore: Malayan Law Journal.
  19. ^ "KEMPEITAI KINDNESS". Straits Chronicle. 28 May 1946. p. 1. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  20. ^ "2 CHINESE FOR COLONIAL LEGAL SERVICE". Singapore Free Press. 24 October 1947. p. 8. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  21. ^ "ACTING REGISTRAR". The Straits Times. 8 November 1947. p. 7. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  22. ^ "MOVE TO SPEED UP COURT HEARINGS". The Straits Times. 2 May 1953. p. 4. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  23. ^ "FREE LEGAL AID PLAN IN SINGAPORE". The Straits Times. 19 June 1955. p. 3. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  24. ^ "Mr. Lim explains to the lawyers". The Straits Times. 10 August 1956. p. 9. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  25. ^ "THEY ALL LIKE MARSHALL 'BABY'". The Straits Times. 7 June 1956. p. 5. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  26. ^ "Court tributes to Registrar". The Straits Times. 15 January 1957. p. 7. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  27. ^ "Bench and Bar to pay tribute". The Straits Times. 17 March 1959. p. 5. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  28. ^ "HIGH TRIBUTE IS PAID TO THE MEMORY OF THE LATE MR. TAN THOON LIP". The Straits Times. 19 March 1959. p. 5. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  29. ^ "SATA donations 'in memory'". The Straits Times. 4 April 1959. p. 5. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  30. ^ "T.M.A. Orchid Seedlings". The Straits Times. 11 October 1959. p. 1. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
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