Yeo Swee Hee

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Yeo Swee Hee (Chinese: 杨瑞喜; 1861 – 10 October 1909) was the Singaporean proprietor of the Cold Storage depot, a land owner, a mining contractor, a general merchant and a commission agent.[1][2]

Early life and education[edit]

Yeo was born in Singapore in 1861 as the son of Yeo Kwan, and attended Raffles Institution.[3]

Career[edit]

Yeo became employed at Huttenbach & Co. in 1885, and stayed with the company for 27 years, eventually rising to the position of general assistant. He was also the proprietor of the Cold Storage depot on Orchard Road.[3] He owned a large amount of land, and was also a general merchant and commission agent. He was on the committees of the Straits Chinese British Association and the Anglo-Chinese Free School. He was also a trustee of various other schools. He was an honorary member of the Singapore Volunteer Corps and a member of the Straits Chinese Recreation Club.[3][4]

Personal life and death[edit]

Yeo was married and had at least four sons and six daughters. He died on 10 October 1909 a few months after his health had begun to deteriorate.[4]

Swee Hee Lane was named after him.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Cartwright, H. A. (1923). Twentieth Century Impressions of British Malaya: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries, and Resources. Lloyd's Greater Britain publishing Company. p. 708.
  2. ^ Kua, Bak Lim (1999). 新华历史人物列传. 教育出版私营有限公司. p. 58.
  3. ^ a b c Song, Ong Siang (1923). One Hundred Years' History of the Chinese in Singapore. J. Murray. p. 308-309.
  4. ^ a b "DEATH OF MR. YEO SWEE HEE". The Straits Times. Singapore. 12 October 1909. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  5. ^ Savage, Victor R.; Yeoh, Brenda S.A. (15 June 2013). Singapore Street Names: A Study of Toponymics. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International, Singapore. p. 363. ISBN 9814484741.