Wee Kim Wee 
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Dummipedia, the simplified free online encyclopedia
Wee Kim Wee (1915 - 2005) was the fourth President of Singapore, from 1985 to 1993. A humble man up to his death, he had asked to be cremated and for the ashes to be placed at Mandai Columbarium with those of ordinary citizens instead of Kranji War Cemetery where late dignitaries are usually buried.[1]
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| Wee Kim Wee | |
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| In office September 3, 1985 – September 1, 1993 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Kuan Yew (1959-1990) Goh Chok Tong (1990-2004) |
| Preceded by | Devan Nair |
| Succeeded by | Ong Teng Cheong |
| Born | November 4, 1915 Singapore |
| Died | May 2, 2005 (aged 89) Siglap, Singapore |
| Resting place | Mandai Columbarium, Singapore |
| Religion | Buddhism |
| Spouse | Koh Sok Hiong |
| Children | 1 son and 6 daughters |
| Parents | Wee Choon Lay and Chua Hay Luan alias Tak Poh |
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2. Born in Singapore, Wee attended Raffles Institution but his education was disrupted in 1929, at the age of 15, when he had to supplement his family income through work. Through an uncle, he got a job at the The Straits Times in 1930, where he worked as a clerk in the circulation department and was later transferred to the advertising department. Wee's break into journalism came when he was called upon to report on sports outside of office hours. Promoted to reporter, he resigned in 1941 to join the United Press Association (UPA) where he rose through the ranks to become became its Chief Correspondent and Office Manager for Singapore, Malaya, Borneo, and Brunei in the 1950s. Wee rejoined The Straits Times in 1959 as its Deputy Editor and was promoted to Editorial Manager in 1970.
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3. In 1973, Wee was appointed High Commissioner to Malaysia, a position he held for seven years. He was subsequently appointed ambassador to Japan in September 1980, and to South Korea in February 1981. At the end of his diplomatic career in 1984, Wee was appointed Chairman of the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (the predecessor of the current MediaCorp Studios).
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4. On August 30, 1985 Wee was sworn in as the fourth President of Singapore after being appointed by Parliament. He had two operations in 1989 for rectum and prostate cancer, but recovered sufficiently to resume his duties as the Singapore President. Wee also briefly enjoyed the new Presidential powers of an elected President that came into effect on 30 November 1991, before he retired at the age of 78 in 1993 after two successful four-year terms. In 2004, he published his autobiography, Glimpses and Reflections, and donated SGD500,000 of the proceeds from his royalties to eight charities. A highly popular president, he is remembered as the People's President.[1] Wee passed away as a result of prostate cancer in his home in May 2005, at the age of 89. more... at Wikipedia
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