Lee family (Singapore)

The Lee family (; ) is a political family in Singapore, with members prominent in Singaporean politics, public service, law, business and academia.

Background

The son of Lee Chin Koon and Chua Jim Neo, Lee Kuan Yew served as the first Prime Minister of Singapore and his eldest son Lee Hsien Loong served as the third Prime Minister.

Members of the Lee family also held leadership positions in the People's Action Party which forms the incumbent Government of Singapore.

Family tree

Government offices held

• Lee Kuan Yew: Member of Parliament 1955–2015; Leader of the Opposition, 1955–1959; Prime Minister of Singapore, 1959–1990; Senior Minister of Singapore, 1990–2004; Minister Mentor of Singapore, 2004–2011
• Lee Hsien Loong: Member of Parliament 1984–; Acting Minister for Trade and Industry, 1986; Second Minister for Defence (Services), 1987–1990; Minister for Trade and Industry, 1987–1992; Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, 1990–2004; Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, 1998–2004; Minister for Finance, 2001–2007; Prime Minister of Singapore, 2004–2024; Senior Minister of Singapore, 2024–
• Lee Wei Ling: Director of the National Neuroscience Institute, 2004–2014
• Lee Hsien Yang: Chief Executive Officer of Singtel, 1995–2007; Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, 2009–2018

Ho Ching: Wife of Lee Hsien Loong; Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings, 2004–2021

38 Oxley Road dispute

Relation to other prominent families

Kwa Geok Choo, the wife of Lee Kuan Yew, is the daughter of Wee Yew Neo, who is in turn the sister of Helene Tan, wife of Tan Chin Tuan. The Tans are another prominent family in Singapore, whose members include:

• Tony Tan, the 7th President of Singapore
• Tan Kim Seng, a Peranakan businessman
• Tan Eng Sian, who the College of Alice and Peter Tan of the National University of Singapore is named after
• Simon Chesterman, former dean of the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law

The Lee family is also distantly related to Teo Chee Hean through Kwa Geok Choo:

• Choo's brother, Kwa Soon Chuan, was married to Ivy Lim Seok Cheng, the second daughter of Lim Chong Pang, who was in turn the son of Lim Nee Soon.
• Kwa Soon Chuan's daughter was Kwa Kim-Li, who is the managing partner of Lee & Lee.
• Lim Nee Soon's maternal grandfather was Teo Lee, a predecessor of Teo Eng Hock, Teo Soon Kim, and Teo Chee Hean.
• The Lims were also related to Oei Tiong Ham via Nee Soon's eldest daughter, who married a son of Oei.

The Lee political family is also distantly related to the Lee family that founded the Chinese Commercial Bank, via Kwa Geok Choo:

• Lim Chong Pang, the father-in-law of Choo's brother, Kwa Soon Chuan, was married to the daughter of Lee Choon Guan and Tan Teck Neo.
• Choon Guan was the son of Lee Cheng Yan.
• Teck Neo was the daughter of Tan Keong Saik, who Keong Saik Road is named after.
• Lee Choon Guan was the cousin of Lee Keng Kiat, who is the father of Lee Chim Tuan and Lee Chim Huk.
• Huk was the father of Lee Kip Lin and Lee Kip Lee, the latter being the father of Singaporean creative Dick Lee.
• Tuan was a maternal cousin of Malaysian politician Tan Cheng Lock.

References