About Wee Chong Jin
Wee Chong Jin (Chinese: 黃宗仁; pinyin: Huáng Zōngrén; 28 September 1917 – 5 June 2005) was a Malayan-born Singaporean jurist who served as a chief justice of Singapore for 27 years, from 1963 to 1990, where he was the first Asian lawyer appointed as a judge to head the Supreme Court of Singapore, and the longest-serving chief justice in the Commonwealth. == Early life == Wee was born in 1917 to parents Wee Gim Puay and Lim Paik Yew in Penang, which was then a part of the Straits Settlements. He received his early education at the Penang Free School, and read law at St John's College, Cambridge. He was called to Bar at the Middle Temple in November 1938, and was admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor of Straits Settlements in 1940 upon returning to Penang. == Legal career == Wee practised law in Malaya and Singapore from 1940 to 1957, with the firm Wee Swee Teow and Co. === Judicial career === Wee became the first Asian lawyer to be appointed to the position of a judge at the Supreme Court of Singapore on 15 August 1957, and subsequently appointed Chief Justice of Singapore on 5 January 1963. His appointment as Chief Justice marked the end of the century-old tradition of appointing British Chief Justices – the last of whom was Sir Alan Rose – for Singapore. Wee remained in the position for 27 years, making him the longest-serving chief justice not only in Singapore, but also in the Commonwealth. == Other roles == Wee also served as the first chairman of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights from 1973 and remained at its helm for 18 years. Wee assumed the post of the acting President of Singapore for two days when Devan Nair stepped down as President.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.