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Lee Chin Koon

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In this Chinese name, the family name is Lee.
Lee Chin Koon
Lee in 1936; his son Dennis is at the bottom left
Born1 June 1903
Semarang, Central Java, Dutch East Indies
Died12 October 1997(1997-10-12) (aged 94)
Singapore
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1921; died 1980)​
Children5; including Lee Kuan Yew
RelativesLee family

Lee Chin Koon (1 June 1903 – 12 October 1997) was a Singaporean storekeeper, manager, and salesman who was formerly employed with the Shell Oil Company. Prominently, he was also the father of Lee Kuan Yew and the paternal grandfather of Lee Hsien Loong, the first and third Prime Minister of Singapore respectively.

Early life and career

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Lee was born on 1 June 1903 in the port city of Semarang, Central Java, during Dutch colonial rule. He was from an upper-class family of Straits Chinese descent and was raised in an English-speaking household.[1] His parents were Hakka-Peranakan Lee Hoon Leong (1871–1942) and Indonesian-Peranakan Ko Liem Nio (1883–1959).[2]

His father, Lee Hoon Leong, worked as a pharmacist and later became a purser at Heap Eng Moh Shipping Line. His family later moved to Singapore when he was five, where he studied at St. Joseph's Institution.[2]

During the Great Depression, Lee's family was affected but,[1] in the 1930s, he managed to secure a job as a storekeeper for Shell Oil Company, later becoming a manager after World War II.[2] He later worked at a shop at High Street, selling watches and jewellery.[3]

In 1957, he helped his son Lee Kuan Yew campaign at the Tanjong Pagar by-election.[4]

Marriage and personal life

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He married his wife Chua Jim Neo (1905–1980) on 20 May 1922 when he was 18 and she was 16 in a traditional Chinese arranged marriage by Chua's family.[5] Together they had 5 children including the first Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew.[6] In 1945, Lee and Chua bought a bungalow at 38 Oxley Road.[1] Lee was a frequent gambler, usually being stood up by Chua when he went to gamble.[7]

In 1959, after Lee Kuan Yew was elected Prime Minister, Lee led a mostly private life, having told a cousin, "I don't like publicity."[8]

Death

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Lee died on 12 October 1997 at the age of 92. His wife had died in 1980.[9]

Family tree of Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Bok Boon
1846–1920		Seow Huan Neo
1850–c. 1931
Lee Hoon Leong
1871–1942		Ko Liem Nio
1883–1959
Lee Chin Koon
1903–1997[10]		Chua Jim Neo
1907–1980
Lee Kuan Yew
1923–2015		Kwa Geok Choo
1920–2010		Dennis Lee Kim Yew
1925–2003[11]		Gloria Lee (Woo) Sau Yin
1926–2023[12]		Freddy Lee Thiam Yew
1927–2012[13]		Eleanor Ngo Puay Chin[12]Monica Lee Kim Mon
b. 1929 or 1930[14]		George Chan Chor Cheung[12]Dr Lee Suan Yew
b. 1933[15]		Pamela Chong[12]
Wong Ming Yang
1951–1982[16]		Lee Hsien Loong
b. 1952		Ho Ching
b. 1953		Lee Wei Ling
1955–2024		Lee Hsien Yang
b. 1957		Lim Suet Fern
b. 1958[17]
Li Xiuqi
b. 1981[18]		Li Yipeng
b. 1982[18]		Li Hongyi
b. 1987[18]		Li Haoyi
b. 1989[18]		Li Shengwu
b. 1985[18]		Li Huanwu
b. 1986[18]		Li Shaowu
b. 1995[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Lee Kuan Yew, Singaporean (1923–2015)" (PDF). The Peranakan Issue. 2015. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Corfield, Justin (2011). Historical Dictionary of Singapore. Scarecrow Press. pp. 141–142. ISBN 9780810873872.
  3. ^ Josey, Alex (2012). Lee Kuan Yew: The Crucial Years. Marshall Cavendish. p. 4. ISBN 9789814435499.
  4. ^ "Snapshots of SM Lee's life". The Straits Times. 17 September 1993. p. 5. Retrieved 26 May 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  5. ^ Byramji, Nancy (21 May 1978). "Proud and happy day for the Lees". The Straits Times. p. 1. Retrieved 26 May 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  6. ^ Hung, David; Ee, Ling Low; Oon, Seng Tan (6 March 2017). Lee Kuan Yew's Educational Legacy: The Challenges of Success. Springer Nature Singapore. p. 4. ISBN 9789811035258.
  7. ^ Chan, Robin; Tan, Sumiko (24 March 2015). "Remembering Lee Kuan Yew: Devoted husband and caring father". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  8. ^ Oei, Anthony (15 June 2015). Lee Kuan Yew: Blazing The Freedom Trail. Marshall Cavendish. ISBN 9789814677875.
  9. ^ "SM Lee's lather dies at 94". The Straits Times. 13 October 1997. p. 2. Retrieved 12 October 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  10. ^ Chua, Alivin. "Lee Chin Koon". Singapore Infopedia.
  11. ^ "Kuan Yew's brother Dennis dies". Archived from the original on 8 January 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  12. ^ a b c d "Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore, and his family, 1989 – BookSG". National Library Board, Singapore. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  13. ^ "Lee Kuan Yew bids farewell to brother". Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  14. ^ "The Lee Kuan Yew I remember: His sister Monica Lee, 85". Archived from the original on 8 January 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  15. ^ Lee Kuan Yew (1998). The Singapore Story. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish.
  16. ^ Chua, Mui Hoong (19 October 2003). "From the archives: Private side of DPM Lee". The Straits Times. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  17. ^ Wong, Chun Han (14 July 2017). "Singapore, a Model of Orderly Rule, Is Jolted by a Bitter Family Feud". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g Stolarchuk, Jewel (4 October 2020). "Rare interview: Li Shengwu felt like the first grandson to Mr and Mrs Lee". The Independent Singapore. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
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