History is not made, it is embodied.

In these cascading histories of Singapore’s journey to self-governance, perhaps no two members of the legal community more fully embodied the legal tenor of the times than our first two chiefs: David Marshall, our first Chief Minister, and Wee Chong Jin, the first Chief Justice of independent Singapore.

Listen to Chapter Seven:

You didn’t come this far to stop

David Marshall

Born in Singapore on 12th March 1908, David Marshall attended St Joseph’s Institution and Raffles Institution. He was called to the English Bar at Middle Temple in 1937. In 1938, he was called to the Singapore Bar. He worked at Aitken & Ong Siang, rapidly building a reputation for himself in criminal litigation. In 1940, he joined Allen & Gledhill and, after the war, was made its first Asian partner in 1949, aged 41. He resigned soon after, and joined Battenberg & Talma in January 1950. He entered the political arena and became Chief Minister in 1955 for 14 months. He served as ambassador for nearly 12 years to France, then Portugal, Spain and Switzerland from 1978. Marshall passed away on 12th December 1995, aged 87.

Wee Chong Jin

Born in Georgetown, Penang, on 28th September 1917, Wee Chong Jin read law at St John’s College, Cambridge, and graduated in June 1938. He was awarded a McMahon Law Studentship and was called to the Bar at Middle Temple in November 1938. He returned to Penang and was admitted as an advocate & solicitor in 1940. He joined Allen & Gledhill and later moved on to Walters & Co. In August 1957, he was appointed Puisne Judge, and later Chief Justice of Singapore in 1963 until his retirement. Wee retired on 27th September 1990, aged 72. He passed away on 5th June 2005, aged 88.