Phyllis Eu Cheng Li, née Chia (also known as Mrs Robert Lee) was a city councilor that became the first woman to be elected into public office in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

. She joined the Municipal Commission in 1949 and was re-elected twice representing the

Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Ita ...

. During her time in office she worked to strengthen

consumer rights Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...

and to help involve

women in politics A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardle ...

. She was formally inducted into the

Singapore Women's Hall of Fame The Singapore Women's Hall of Fame is a virtual hall of fame that honors and documents the lives of historically significant women in Singapore. The hall is the creation of the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations (SCWO), and grew out of an ...

in 2014 for her legacy.

Early life

Chia Cheng Li was born in 1914 to managing director of United Motor Works Chia Yee Soh and his first wife Seow Guat Eng. She went to

Methodist Girls' School Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

and joined the Teachers’ Training College before transferring to Raffles College a year later. Graduating in 1935 she taught at St Margaret's Church of England School until the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

when her family fled to Australia. Here she studied at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...

and took part in a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

before the family returned to Singapore in 1946. Upon her return she worked for Zenana Mission School and later Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School in 1953. In 1935 she married teacher Robert Eu and took his name.

Political career

Phyllis Eu Cheng Li ran for election to the

Singapore Municipal Commission The Municipal Commission of Singapore was a body created in 1887 by the British colonial government to replace the Municipal Committee that was created in June 1848. The role of the commission was to manage key services for the Town of Singapore, ...

in 1949 representing the

in the Western ward. She won the third seat with 26.0% of the votes and became the first woman elected to public office. The same year she was re-elected again during the 1939 December election where she increased her share to 62.8% of the votes. In 1951, the

was replaced with the a

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

after Singapore was reclassified as a British city. A year later Li won her third election in the same ward with a 10.6% majority. When the

and the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

merged into the Liberal Socialist Party in 1956 Li became and independent, however stood down at the December 1957 election and retired from politics.

Election results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Phyllis Eu Cheng 1914 births 2004 deaths Progressive Party (Singapore) politicians Singaporean women in politics