Lim Beng Hong

Lim Beng Hong (1898 — 3 February 1979) O.B.E.,^[1][2] who preferred to be, and was most often, referred to as Mrs. B. H. Oon, had the distinction of being the first ethnic-Chinese woman to be called to the English Bar (1926), the first ethnic-Chinese woman Barrister at Penang (1927), and the first woman lawmaker in Malaya, being the first woman representative on the Federation of Malaya Legislative Council (1948). According to press reports at the time, Lim Beng Hong and her brother Lim Khye Seng made English legal history when, in 1926, they became the first brother and sister to be called to the Bar on the same night. History was made again when they were both called to the Bar in Penang, on the same day, as well.^{[1][3][4][5][6]}

References

1. Khoo, Salma Nasuton et al. Giving Our Best: The Story of St. George's Girls' School, Penang, 1885-2010. Penang: Areca, 2010: 168—171. Print.
2. "From The Queen." The Straits Times [Singapore] 26 Feb. 1953: 1: She received the O.B.E. from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on 25th February 1953.
3. "Penang's First Woman Federal Councillor." The Straits Times Singapore 19 Feb 1948: 6. Print
4. "Epoch-Making Event." The Straits Times [Singapore] 5 July 1927: 10. Print.
5. Devasahayam, Theresa W. Singapore Women's Charter: Roles, Responsibilities, and Rights in Marriage. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2011:c 76 Print.
6. Voon, Phin Keong. Malaysian Chinese and Nation-building: Before Merdeka and Fifty Years after. Kuala Lumpur: Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies, 2007: 358—359. Print.