Chang Min Tat
Tan Sri Datuk Michael Chang Min Tat (2 April 1916 – 27 September 2007) was a Malaysian Federal Court judge, a Commissioner of Law Revision and Law Reform and chairman of the Penang State Planning Appeals Board, among other roles, and was acknowledged for his tremendous contributions to the development of the law in Malaysia. Education. From St. Michael's Institution in Ipoh, Perak he went to Raffles College in Singapore on scholarship in 1936 graduating with Diplomas in Arts and Education. Later, at Oxford he obtained his Master of Arts (Oxon) from the Honour School of English  Language & Literature. Career. After Raffles, he became a teacher (at St Xavier's Branch School) but then went to Oxford - Exeter, Oxon 1950-1952 - to further his education. Once he graduated from Oxford he became a barrister and returned to practise law in Penang—his firm commenced in 1954, was at one time known as Chang and Vello. He later became a High Court judge and then a Federal Court judge. He first took oath as a Judge of the High Court of Malaya on the 25th of June 1966 before Chief Justice of Malaya, Dato Azmi bin Haji Mohamed , Justice Dato Ong Hock Thye and Justice Dato Aziz bin Mohamed Zain. After retirement, he held various posts including: Private life. He was a horse racing enthusiast and a committee member of the Selangor Turf Club. An Uncommon Kindness. Dr. Richard Eric Holttum, third Director of Gardens, Straits Settlements (1927–1941) had this to say about him: On one occasion, when Tan Sri Chang Min Tat heard that I would be driving from Penang to Singapore with Dr. and Mrs. Holttum, he invited us to stay with him in Kuala Lumpur and to have dinner with the Lord President and the  British High Commissioner. They were meeting Dr. Holttum for the first time after hearing so much about his work. Tan Sri Justice Chang showed us further kindness by offering his larger, more comfortable car for us to proceed to Singapore.