Ling Siew May (; 1937 – 30 July 1999) was a Chinese-born Singaporean architect who was the First Lady of Singapore when her husband,

Ong Teng Cheong Ong Teng Cheong (22 January 1936 – 8 February 2002) was a Singaporean statesman, architect and union leader who served as the fifth president of Singapore between 1993 and 1999. Born when Singapore was a part of the Singapore in the Straits ...

, served as president from 1993 to 1999. She founded ONG & ONG, an

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

and

urban planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...

firm, with her husband in 1972. Born in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, she moved to Singapore under British rule before the Japanese-occupied Singapore, separating her from her father and leaving her in an orphanage back in Shanghai. Ling moved back to Singapore in 1948 after reuniting with her father and studied at Nanyang Girls' High School and the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

, becoming the first Asian woman to graduate from the university with a Bachelor in Architecture. During her time as First Lady, she continued working as an architect at Ong & Ong, becoming the first working spouse. She died on 30 July 1999, during Ong's presidency, the first time the First Lady had died during their spouse's presidency. Her death was reportedly the reason why Ong did not seek

re-election The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be a ...

less than a month later.

Early life

Ling was born in 1937 in

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, the fourth of six children. She moved to the

Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements () were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under control of the ...

(present-day Singapore) when she was six as her father was posted there while he worked at a British firm. She was later sent to an orphanage in Shanghai after her father and her family were separated during the

Japanese occupation of Singapore , officially , was the name for Colony of Singapore, Singapore when it was occupied and ruled by the Empire of Japan, following the fall and surrender of British military forces on 15 February 1942 during World War II. The Japanese military ...

. In 1948, she returned to Singapore after her father had located them. She studied at Nanyang Girls' High School. She later studied at the

studying architecture, which is where she met her future husband

. In 1963, Ling became the first Asian woman to graduate from the University of Adelaide with a Bachelor in Architecture. She later married Ong in the same year.

Career

In 1972, Ling and Ong founded ONG & ONG, an architecture firm, she was a principal partner. In 1993, she became the 5th

First Lady of Singapore The spouse of the president of Singapore, sometimes referred to as the first lady or first gentleman, is a title typically held by the wife or husband of the president of Singapore, concurrent with the president's term in office. A courtesy te ...

after her husband Ong was elected

president of Singapore The president of the Republic of Singapore, is the head of state of Singapore. The president represents the country in official diplomatic functions and possesses certain executive powers over the government of Singapore, including the contro ...

. Despite becoming the First Lady, she continued her job as an architect at ONG & ONG, becoming the first working First Lady. In 1999, Ling designed the new Nanyang Girls' High School campus at Linden Drive. She was also the chairperson of Nanyang Girls' board. She died later that year whilst still serving as First Lady. Ling is the first First Lady to have died during their partner's presidency. Her illness is reportedly one of the reasons why Ong did not seek a

as he himself was in remission from

lymphatic cancer Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). The name typically refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlarged lymph node ...

Personal life

She and Ong have two sons. In 1993, she stated that her elder son, Ong Tze Guan, was working in Singapore while her younger son, Ong Tze Boon, was doing his masters at

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Texas. Tze Boon subsequently took the helm of ONG & ONG after the death of his parents.

Death

Ling died on 30 July 1999 at 11:25am after suffering from

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

for years at the

National University Hospital The National University Hospital (NUH) is a tertiary referral hospital and academic medical centre in Singapore, located in Kent Ridge. It is a 1,160-bed tertiary hospital serving more than 670,000 outpatients and 49,000 inpatients and serves ...

, two weeks after Ong announced his desire to step down from the Presidency.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ling, Siew May 1937 births 1999 deaths Singaporean women architects First ladies and gentlemen of Singapore Deaths from colorectal cancer in Singapore University of Adelaide alumni Chinese emigrants to Singapore