Ong Teng Cheong

Ong Teng Cheong GCMG
王鼎昌
Ong in 1997
5th President of Singapore
In office 1 September 1993 – 1 September 1999
Prime Minister	Goh Chok Tong
Preceded by	Wee Kim Wee
Succeeded by	S. R. Nathan
3rd Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore
In office 2 January 1985 – 16 August 1993 Serving with Goh Chok Tong (1985–1990) and Lee Hsien Loong (1990–2004)
Prime Minister	Lee Kuan Yew Goh Chok Tong
Preceded by	Goh Keng Swee S. Rajaratnam
Succeeded by	Lee Hsien Loong Tony Tan
2nd Chairman of the People's Action Party
In office 5 January 1981 – 16 August 1993
Preceded by	Toh Chin Chye
Succeeded by	Tony Tan
Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress
In office May 1983 – 1 September 1993
Deputy	Goh Chee Wee
Preceded by	Lim Chee Onn
Succeeded by	Lim Boon Heng
Minister for Labour
In office 5 January 1981 – 9 May 1983
Prime Minister	Lee Kuan Yew
Preceded by	Ong Pang Boon
Succeeded by	E. W. Barker
Minister for Communications
In office 1 July 1977 – 9 May 1983
Prime Minister	Lee Kuan Yew
Preceded by	Lim Kim San
Succeeded by	Ong Pang Boon
Member of the Singapore Parliament for Toa Payoh GRC (Kim Keat)
In office 21 August 1991 – August 1993
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Member of the Singapore Parliament for Kim Keat SMC
In office 2 September 1972 – 14 August 1991
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born	Ong Teng Cheong (1936-01-22)22 January 1936 Singapore, Straits Settlements
Died	8 February 2002(2002-02-08) (aged 66) Tanglin, Singapore
Cause of death	Lymphoma
Resting place	Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium
Political party	Independent
Other political affiliations	People's Action Party (1972–1993)
Spouse	Ling Siew May ​ ​ (m. 1963; died 1999)​
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Adelaide (BArch) University of Liverpool (MCD)
Occupation	Politician union leader civil servant architect

Ong Teng Cheong^[a] GCMG (22 January 1936 – 8 February 2002) was a Singaporean politician, architect, and union leader who served as the fifth president of Singapore from 1993 to 1999. He was the first directly elected president in Singapore's history.^[1] Born in the Straits Settlements, Ong was educated at the University of Adelaide and studied architecture. He later received a Colombo Plan scholarship and graduated from the University of Liverpool with a master's degree in urban planning.

Prior to his presidency, he was a member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP). Ong served as Chairman of the PAP between 1981 and 1993, after Toh Chin Chye stepped down from the position in 1981. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kim Keat Single Member Constituency between 1972 and 1991 and the Kim Keat division of Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency between 1991 and 1993, after the constituency was absorbed into the GRC. His ministerial positions included Minister for Communications between 1978 and 1981, Minister for Labour between 1981 and 1983, and Deputy Prime Minister between 1985 and 1993. During his tenure in Parliament, Ong was known for being the main advocate behind the construction of an extensive rail network in the country, known as the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), the largest construction project in Singapore's history.

In 1993, Ong resigned from the PAP and his ministerial positions to contest in the 1993 presidential election, winning 58.7% of the vote. Ong was nicknamed the "People's President" and he was sworn in on 1 September 1993 as the fifth president of Singapore. He decided not to run for a second term as president in 1999, in part due to the death of his wife. He was succeeded by S. R. Nathan on 1 September 1999.^[2] Ong died in his sleep from lymphoma at his Dalvey Estate residence in Tanglin on 8 February 2002, at the age of 66.

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