View source for Jaafar Muhammad

{{Short description|Malay statesman}}
{{About|the Malay politician|Gaafar Muhammad al-Nimeiry|Gaafar Nimeiry}}
{{Malay name|Jaafar|Muhammad| note = on}}

{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix    = [[Malay styles and titles#Honorary styles|Yang Berhormat]] [[Malay styles and titles#State titles|Dato']]
| name                = Jaafar Haji Muhammad
| native_name         = 
| honorific_suffix    = [[Royal Family Order of Johor|DK (Johor)]] [[Order of the Crown of Johor|SPMJ]] [[Order of St Michael and St George|CMG]]
| image               = Jaafar Muhammad (cropped).jpg
| image_size          = 
| image_upright       = 
| smallimage          = 
| smallimage_alt      = 
| alt                 = 
| caption             = 
| order               = 1st
| office              = Menteri Besar of Johor
| status              = 
| term_start          = 1886
| term_end            = 1919
| predecessor         = ''Office established''
| successor           = Mohamed Mahbob
| birth_date          = 1838
| birth_place         = [[Teluk Belanga]], [[Singapore in the Straits Settlements|Singapore]], [[Straits Settlements]]
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|1919|07|03|1838|df=y}}
| death_place         = Bukit Senyum, [[Johor Bahru]], [[Johor]]
| resting_place       = [[Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum]]
| children            = [[Onn Jaafar]]
| relations           = [[Hussein Onn]] (grandson) <br /> [[Hishammuddin Hussein]] (great-grandson) <br /> [[Onn Hafiz Ghazi]] <br /> (great-great-grandson)
}}

'''Jaafar bin Haji Muhammad''' ([[Jawi alphabet|Jawi]]: جعفر بن محمد, b. 1838 – d. 3 July 1919) D.K., S.P.M.J., C.M.G.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://journalarticle.ukm.my/543/|title=Datuk Jaafar Haji Mohamad D.K., S.P.M.J., C.M.G., Menteri Besar Johor yang pertama 1886-1919|journal=Jebat: Malaysian Journal of History, Politics and Strategic Studies|year=1972|volume=02|pages=1–6}}</ref> was the first and longest serving ''[[Menteri Besar|Dato' Menteri Besar]]'' ([[Chief Minister]]) of the independent kingdom of [[Johor]] (today a state in the Federation of Malaysia), an office he held from 1886 until his death.

==Early life==
Jaafar was born in [[Teluk Belanga]], [[Singapore in the Straits Settlements|Singapore]], [[Straits Settlements]]. He received Malay and English education.

==Career==
He began serving with the Government of Johor at 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 ''Menteri Besar'' until 1882. He was Sultan Abu Bakar's escort in the latter's first trip to Europe in 1866. He took office in 1885 when Temenggong [[Abu Bakar of Johor|Abu Bakar]] made himself [[Sultan of Johor|sultan]] and created a bureaucratic administration for [[Johor]]. During his term as Chief Minister, Jaafar was tasked with carrying out state administration when Abu Bakar went overseas. His residence for most of the latter part of his life was the Istana Bukit Senyum which was built in 1883. 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kaylingliberation.blogspot.my/2014/07/dato-jaafar-bin-haji-muhammad-1838-1919.html|title=Liberation, Scholars & Legendary Review; Dato Jaafar Bin Haji Muhammad ( 1838 - 1919 )|publisher=Blogspot}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Jaafar was married five times with five wives, Esah bte Ibrahim, Emon bte Abu Talib, Datin Selamah Ambak and Rogayah Hanim.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/data/archives/2013/07/05/00/31/taking-root-branching-out/ |title=Malaysian Families: Taking root, branching out |work=The Star |date=5 July 2013 |access-date=1 June 2016 |archive-date=3 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803174416/http://www.thestar.com.my/data/archives/2013/07/05/00/31/taking-root-branching-out/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Three of his sons also went on to serve as ''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==
*{{flag|Johor}}
**[[File:Order of the Crown of Johor ribbon bar.svg|50px]] Knight Grand Commander of the [[Order of the Crown of Johor]] (SPMJ) – '''Dato'''' (1886)
**[[File:Most Esteemed Royal Family Order of Johor - ribbon bar.svg|50px]] Grand Commander of the [[Royal Family Order of Johor]] (DK I) (1903)
*{{flag|United Kingdom}}
**[[File:UK_Order_St-Michael_St-George_ribbon.svg|50px]] Honorary Companion of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] (CMG) (1897)

== References ==
<references/>
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[[Category:1838 births]]
[[Category:1919 deaths]]
[[Category:People from British Malaya]]
[[Category:Chief ministers of Johor]]
[[Category:Johor state executive councillors]]
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[[Category:First Classes of the Royal Family Order of Johor]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor]]
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[[Category:Honorary companions of the Order of St Michael and St George]]