Wee Kim Wee

Wee Kim Wee PBM BBM DUT
黃金輝
Wee in 1936
4th President of Singapore
In office 2 September 1985 – 1 September 1993
Prime Minister	Lee Kuan Yew Goh Chok Tong
Preceded by	Devan Nair
Succeeded by	Ong Teng Cheong
Singapore Ambassador to South Korea
In office September 1980 – April 1984
President	Benjamin Sheares Devan Nair
Preceded by	Wee Mon Cheng
Succeeded by	Lee Khoon Choy
Singapore Ambassador to Japan
In office September 1980 – April 1984
President	Benjamin Sheares Devan Nair
Preceded by	Wee Mon Cheng
Succeeded by	Lee Khoon Choy
Singapore High Commissioner to Malaysia
In office 15 September 1973 – 31 August 1980
President	Benjamin Sheares
Preceded by	Chiang Hai Ding
Succeeded by	Maurice Baker
Personal details
Born	(1915-11-04)4 November 1915 Singapore, Straits Settlements (present-day Singapore)
Died	2 May 2005(2005-05-02) (aged 89) Siplap Plain, Singapore
Cause of death	Prostate cancer
Resting place	Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Koh Sok Hiong
Children	7
Education	Outram Secondary School Raffles Institution
Occupation	Journalist diplomat

Wee Kim Wee^[a] (4 November 1915 – 2 May 2005) was a Singaporean journalist and diplomat who served as the fourth president of Singapore from 1985 to 1993. Born in Singapore during colonial rule, Wee was educated at Outram Secondary School and Raffles Institution, dropping out to work at The Straits Times in 1930. He left The Straits Times to join the United Press Associations in 1941, working there through the Second World War and eventually becoming the office manager and chief correspondent by 1959.

That same year, he returned to The Straits Times after being offered the position of Deputy Editor. During his time there, he was best known for his interview of then-Lieutenant General Suharto, where he reported his intentions for peace during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. He also became the first Singaporean journalist to enter Jakarta when he went to interview Suharto. He retired from journalism in 1973 at the position of editorial manager and became a diplomat, serving as Singapore's High Commissioner to Malaysia from 1973 and 1980 and Ambassador to Japan and South Korea concurrently from 1980 and 1984.

In 1985, Wee was elected president by Parliament and served in the role for two terms, ending in 1993. For the ensuing presidential election, the first in Singapore to be decided by popular vote, Wee decided not to contest and retired after his second term had ended. He was also the first president to exercise custodial powers pursuant to the constitutional amendments in Singapore's history. He was succeeded by Ong Teng Cheong on 1 September 1993. Wee died of prostate cancer in his home at Siglap Plain in Singapore on 2 May 2005, at the age of 89.
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