Wee Chong Jin

Infobox Judge
name = Wee Chong Jin (黄宗仁)
honorific-suffix =


caption =
order = 1st
office = Chief Justice of Singapore
term_start = 5 January 1963
term_end = 27 September 1990
nominator =
appointer =
predecessor = Sir Alan Rose
(Chief Justice of British Colonial Singapore)
successor = Yong Pung How
office2 = Head, Presidential Council for Religious Harmony
term_start2 = 1992
term_end2 = 2005
nominator2 =
appointer2 =
predecessor2 =
successor2 =
office3 = Acting President of Singapore
term_start3 = 11 May 1981
term_end3 = 13 May 1981
nominator3 =
appointer3 =
predecesso3 =
successor3 =
birth_date = birth date|1917|9|28
birth_place = Penang, Malaysia
death_date = death date and age|2005|6|5|1917|9|28
death_place = SIN
nationality =
spouse = Cecilia Mary Henderson
children = 4
alma_mater =St John's College, Cambridge
religion = Roman Catholic

Wee Chong Jin (zh-cp|c=黄宗仁|p=Huáng Zōng Rén) was born in Penang to parents Wee Gim Puay and Lim Paik Yew. 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.

Wee practiced law in Malaysia and Singapore from 1940 to 1957, with the firm Wee Swee Teow and Co. He also 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 the century-old tradition of appointing British Chief Justices -the last of whom was Sir Alan Rose - for Singapore. [ [http://app.supremecourt.gov.sg/default.aspx?pgID=39 Supreme Court History] ] Wee remained in the position for 27 years, making him the longest-serving chief justice not only in Singapore, but also in the Commonwealth.

He 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, and became the first president of the Singapore Academy of Law in 1988. In April 1992 Wee was made an Honorary Member and Fellow of the Singapore Academy of Law for life - its highest honour made to a person by the Academy. He served as a legal consultant of the Supreme Court of Singapore after his retirement on 27 September 1990, and was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2004.

Wee was also known for his love for sports, as he was an outstanding cricket player for Cambridge University in 1937 and a keen golfer serving as President of the Singapore Golf Association from 1962 to 2002. Wee died on June 5, 2005 of complications from lung and brain cancer, and a funeral was held at the Catholic Church of St. Ignatius at King's Road before his body was being cremated at the Mandai Crematorium. Wee is survived by his wife, Cecilia Henderson, three sons, Laurence, John and Patrick, and one daughter, Veronica, and grandchildren.

Quotes

* "The qualities that one should look for in a judge are a burning desire to be fair and impartial; the courage to uphold the law and strike down injustice; compassion, coupled with an understanding of human frailties; and lastly, love for the law." -- Wee Chong Jin [cite news | author = | title = A giant of S'pore legal history | publisher = "The Straits Times" | date = June 6 2005]

*"A man of few words, he nevertheless 'came down hard' if anyone deliberately or through ignorance tried to mislead the court. He loved the moot point and relished a fine argument. I remember an appeal I did for a client sentenced to six years' jail, inter alia, for importing a-go-go dancers and it was on the sole ground of misjoinder of charges. Hardly five minutes into my opening address, the 'Chief' in his usual soft, calm voice asked the Deputy Public Prosecutor if he was 'seriously' upholding the conviction. It was a rare occasion when that gentleman was bereft of words! Although he showed a somewhat stern demeanour in court, apart from his prodigious memory, he had, as others have said, a sensitive and kind heart." -- Geoffrey Abisheganaden, lawyer [cite news | author = Geoffrey Abisheganaden | title = Ex-CJ was stern in court, but always fair and kind | publisher = "The Straits Times" | date = June 10 2005]

*"He is remembered with fondness by lawyers for his patience, tolerance and sense of fairness and justice. He has a quick grasp of the law and understands the frailty of human weakness." -- Leo Cheng Suan, Executive Committee Member, Law Society of Singaporecite news | author = Peh Shing Huei | title = Ex-CJ and 1st Asian judge in S'pore dies; Place in history books assured after he helped steer Republic through its formative years | publisher = "The Straits Times" | date = June 6 2005]

*"We all lived with my father in his house even after we had our own apartments. It was becoming a bit of a joke, because we were already in our 30s and 40s. People tell us 'you guys should be moving out', but we loved to live there. My father was such a nice guy and we are a very closely-knit family. My father spent a lot of time at home with us. As the CJ, he had to separate the social side of things from work. He had to be a little anti-social, so that there won't be innuendoes on his impartiality. It was one of the disadvantages of the job. So we spent lots of time at home, having dinner and watching TV." -- Patrick Wee, on his father being a loving family man.

*"He was never short-tempered or impatient. He was a good and loving father, who worked long hours and had no extravagant needs. ... My one favourite and recent memory is of him singing "Baa Baa Black Sheep" to my 18-month-old daughter, Nicole."

ee also

*Chief Justice of Singapore
*Judicial officers of the Republic of Singapore
*Judicial system of Singapore

References