John Henry Moor

John Henry Moor (29 December 1802 – 1 May 1843) was a newspaperman who founded and edited the Malacca Observer and later served as the editor of The Singapore Chronicle and then as the founding editor of The Singapore Free Press. He was also the compiler of Notices of the Indian Archipelago, and Adjacent Countries and the founding headmaster of the Singapore Free School, which eventually became Raffles Institution.

Early life and education Moor was born in Macau on 29 December 1802. He was taken to Ireland in his youth and eventually began studying at the Trinity College Dublin to "[qualify] himself for taking orders". However, a "speech impediment" forced him to "abandon this intention." He then began an apprentice to a "respectable" bookseller in Dublin, though he "preferred" Asia. He came to Chennai, then known as Madras, "on chance".

Career Malacca (1826 – 1829) After spending a few years in Madras, Moor came to Malacca in 1826. The newspaper was printed by the Anglo-Chinese Press and its first issue was published in September.

Death and family Moor died on 1 May 1843. On his death, he was survived by his wife, Christina Elisabeth Stretcher and a "large" family. He left "little else in the way of material property, apart from a stock of unsold copies of his book" and a public subscription fund was established for his family. This raised $6,700, which was invested in three mortgaged houses in Singapore, which provided his widow with an allowance.