From Johor Bahru Directory
| Dato' Ja'afar bin Mohamed was the first and longest serving Menteri Besar of Johor.
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Dato' Jaa'far bin Mohamed
Dato' Jaafar bin Haji Muhammad (1838 - 1919) was the first and longest serving Menteri Besar of Johor, an office he held until his death. He was the father of [[Onn Jaafar|Dato' Onn bin Jaafar, the 7th Menteri Besar of Johor, as well as the grandfather of Tun Hussein Onn, the 3rd Prime Minister of Malaysia. Dato' Ja'afar took office when Temenggung Abu Bakar made himself Sultan and formulated a new constitution and administrative framework for Johor in 1885.
2. Genealogy: Dato' Ja'afar was born in Teluk Belangga, Singapore, the son of Tok Muhammad Tahir who in turn was the eldest son of Tok Abdul Jabbar bin Tok Othman, a descendant of Tun Biajid. His mother, Ana binti Abdullah, was the daughter of Dayang binti Tun Abdul Jamil (Raja Timur), while Dayang's mother was Cik Burok anak Orangkaya Sementan.
3. Residence: Dato' Ja'afar's residence for his latter part of his life was at Istana Bukit Senyum which was built in 1883. The building was modelled after Hardwick Hall, one of the most significant Elizabethan country houses in England, and was a residence that rivaled many palaces in size and grandeur during that time.[1] The building was acquired by the Johor state government upon his death on 3 July 1919,[2] and renamed Bangunan Dato' Jaafar. A high school behind the palace, Sekolah Dato Jaafar is named after him.
4. Dato' Ja'afar was married five times.[3] Three of his sons also became the Menteri Besar after him, including the father of modern Malay nationalism, Dato Onn Jaafar.
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