Yeo Seh Geok
Yeo Seh Geok | |
|---|---|
Yeo with her husband Benjamin Sheares, c. 1939 | |
| First Lady of Singapore | |
| In office 2 January 1971 – 12 May 1981 | |
| President | Benjamin Sheares |
| Preceded by | Puan Noor Aishah |
| Succeeded by | Avadai Dhanam Lakshimi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 March 1917 Quanzhou, Republic of China (present-day People's Republic of China) |
| Died | 8 July 2012 (aged 95) Singapore |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3; including Constance and Joseph |
Yeo Seh Geok Sheares (6 March 1917 – 8 July 2012) was a Chinese-born Singaporean who was the First Lady of Singapore when her husband, Benjamin Sheares, served as president from 1971 to 1981. Born in the Republic of China, she would have her early education there before graduating from university in 1937 after taking a liberal arts course.
Her father would then send her to British controlled Singapore to avoid the Japanese invasion of China in 1938, where she would study at Kandang Kerbau Hospital to become a midwife. At the hospital, she met obstetrician Sheares and they subsequently got married. From the 1940s to 1950s, she would raise their three children while Sheares continued working. In 1971, she would become the First Lady following Sheares' successful election to the presidency.
During her time as First Lady, she served as the patron for many organisations and attended multiple events. Yeo would serve as First Lady for a decade, ending after Sheares died in office. Yeo died in 2012.