Ong Boon Tek, a prominent Hokkien community leader in Penang during the late 19th century, traced his ancestry to Pushan She, Zhangzhou, Fujian. He was a councilor of Kien Tek Tong (also known as the Tua Peh Kong Society), one of the most influential organizations in Penang. He also served as a board member of the Batu Gantung Hokkien Cemetery and the Pulau Tikus Hokkien Cemetery. Ong Boon Tek was engaged in the shipping and ship chandler business, operating Boon Tek & Co. on Beach Street. His commercial vessels navigated between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. During the Larut War, he assisted in transporting arms and armed personnel from Penang to Perak. Khoo Thean Poh, the second elder of Kien Tek Tong, was also one of the partners in Boon Tek & Co. The company was involved in the import and export of European goods, serving as an agent for merchandise from Europe and the Dutch East Indies. Notable figures such as Cheah Chen Eok and Khoo Eu Yong from the Khoo family once worked for Boon Tek & Co. In 1885, Ong Boon Tek co-founded The Penang Khean Guan Insurance Company alongside other key Penang figures, including Khoo Thean Teik, Koh Seang Tat, Khaw Sim Bee, Chun Lay Kum, and Lee Phee Yeow. Educated in English, Ong Boon Tek was an alumnus of Penang Free School. In the 1880s, he served on the school’s managing committee alongside prominent figures such as Khoo Seang Tat, Foo Tye sin, Chew Sin Jong, and several Europeans. Due to his proficiency in English, he was also appointed as a member of the jury panel of the Penang Court. Reference/ Further Reading Straits Settlements Directory Wolfgang Frankie, Chen Tie Fan. eds. 1985. Chinese Epigraphic Materials in Malaysia (Volume 2). Kuala Lumpur, University of Malaya Press.