Onn Jaafar

Onn Jaafar
عون جعفر
Onn Jaafar, 1948.
7th Menteri Besar of Johor
In office
1 June 1947 – 18 May 1950
Preceded byUngku Abdul Aziz Abdul Majid
Succeeded bySyed Abdul Kadir Mohamed
1st President of the United Malays National Organisation
In office
11 May 1946 – 25 August 1951
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byTunku Abdul Rahman
Member of the Malayan Parliament
for Kuala Terengganu Selatan
In office
11 September 1959 – 19 January 1962
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byIsmail Kassim
Personal details
Born
Onn bin Jaafar

12 February 1895
Bukit Gambir, Johor Bahru, Johor
Died19 January 1962(1962-01-19) (aged 66)
Johor Bahru, Johor, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia)
Resting placeMahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum
Political party
Spouses
  • Rafeah Abdullah
  • Jamilah Osman
  • Che Kah
  • Halimah Hussein
Relations
ChildrenHussein Onn
Parents

Dato' Sir Onn bin Dato' Jaafar (Jawi: عون بن جعفر; 12 February 1895 – 19 January 1962) was a Malayan politician who served as the 7th Menteri Besar of Johor from 1947 to 1950. His organised opposition towards the creation of the Malayan Union (by the returning British colonial power after the end of the Japanese occupation of Malaya) led him to form the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) in 1946; he was UMNO's founder and its first president until his resignation in 1951. He was famously known as the pioneer of organised anti-imperialism and early Malay nationalism within Malaya, which eventually culminated with the Malayan independence from Britain. He was also responsible for the social and economic welfare of the Malays by setting up the Rural Industrial Development Authority (RIDA).

His son Hussein Onn was the third Prime Minister of Malaysia, his grandson, Hishammuddin Hussein is a senior UMNO politician, and his great-grandson Onn Hafiz Ghazi is the current Member of the Johor State Legislative Assembly for Layang-Layang and 19th Menteri Besar of Johor.