William Yee
William Yee | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Legislative Council for Suva General | |
| In office 1966–1972 | |
| Member of the House of Representatives for Suva/Central General | |
| In office 1972–1982 | |
| Succeeded by | James Ah Koy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 July 1928 Zhongshan, China |
| Political party | Alliance Party |
| Profession | Civil engineer[1] |
Hon Wing William Yee (born 18 July 1928) was a Fijian engineer and politician. He was the first Chinese Fijian to be elected to the Legislative Council.[2]
Biography
[edit]Yee was born in Zhongshan in China, before moving to Fiji as a child. He attended the Marist Brothers High School in Suva and St Bede's College in Canterbury.[1] He then studied engineering at the University of Auckland,[1] and was the first Fijian Chinese to earn a degree in the subject.[3]
Political career
[edit]The 1966 general elections were the first in which Chinese Fijians were able to vote. Yee was an Alliance Party candidate in the three-seat General constituency of Suva, and was elected by a margin of 90 votes. In the 1972 elections he was re-elected in the Suva/Central General constituency of the House of Representatives. He was re-elected again in March 1977 and September 1977, by which time the constituency had been renamed Suva/Central.[4]
Other roles
[edit]In 1975 Yee became chairman of the new Chinese Education Society and worked as school manager of the Yat Sen School.[5] He remained chairman until 1983, and held the post again between 1987 and 1996.[5]
References
[edit]- 1928 births
- People from Zhongshan
- Chinese emigrants to Fiji
- People educated at Marist Brothers High School, Fiji
- People educated at St Bede's College, Christchurch
- University of Auckland alumni
- Fijian engineers
- Members of the Legislative Council of Fiji
- Members of the House of Representatives (Fiji)
- 20th-century Fijian educators