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Friday, November 13, 2026Nov 13

Key dates in the life of ex-Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew

FILE - In this Jan. 13, 1968, file photo, Singapore’s then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew speaks at a press conference after his arrival at Heathrow Airport in London. Lee Kuan Yew, the founder of modern Singapore who helped transform the sleepy port into one of the world's richest nations, died Monday, March 23, 2015, the government said. He was 91.(AP Photo/Laurence Harris, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 13, 1968, file photo, Singapore’s then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew speaks at a press conference after his arrival at Heathrow Airport in London. Lee Kuan Yew, the founder of modern Singapore who helped transform the sleepy port into one of the world's richest nations, died Monday, March 23, 2015, the government said. He was 91.(AP Photo/Laurence Harris, File)

Key dates in the life of Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of modern Singapore and the city-state’s first and longest-serving prime minister.

– Sept. 16, 1923: Lee is born in Singapore, then a British colony.

– 1942-45: Education at Raffles College is interrupted by Japanese occupation of Singapore during World War II.

– 1946: Goes to England and studies law at Cambridge University, where he was known as Harry, a name his grandfather called him.

– 1947: Secretly marries Kwa Geok Choo, fellow student at Cambridge.