Lee Kuan Yew, politician and lawyer who was prime minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. During his long rule, Singapore became the most-prosperous country in Southeast Asia. There he headed the honours list. He also became a socialist. Although he was admitted (1950) to the English bar, he returned to Singapore. Appointed legal adviser to the Postal Union, he participated in negotiations to obtain higher wages for postal workers and subsequently did similar work for other trade unions.