Wee Kim Wee

Wee Kim Wee (4 November 1915 – 2 May 2005) was a Singaporean journalist and diplomat who served as the fourth president of Singapore between 1985 and 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 with them, he was best known for his interview of 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, on the request of Foreign Minister S. Rajaratnam.

In 1985, Wee was elected president by Parliament and served in the role for two terms, ending in 1993. For the ensuing presidential election in 1993, the first in Singapore to be decided by popular vote, Wee decided not to contest and retired after his second term had ended. During his presidency, he was known for improving relations between Singapore with Israel, Malaysia, and China, along with attending or officiating many events. 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 as president and went into retirement. Wee released an autobiography in 2004, and died of prostate cancer the following year in his home at Siglap Plain on 2 May 2005, at the age of 89.