Born in Singapore during colonial rule, Wee was educated at Outram Secondary School and Raffles Institution, dropping out to work at The Straits Times in 1930.

He left The Straits Times to join the United Press Associations in 1941, working there through the Second World War and eventually becoming the office manager and chief correspondent by 1959.

He retired from journalism in 1973 at the position of editorial manager and became a diplomat, serving as Singapore's High Commissioner to Malaysia from 1973 and 1980 and Ambassador to Japan and South Korea concurrently from 1980 and 1984.

Wee was born in Singapore, which was then-under British rule and a part of the Straits Settlements, at the Free Middleton Hospital on 4 November 1915.

He dropped out of school sometime after 1929 after his mother urged him to find employment, seeing as how their family was still struggling financially, living in Singapore Harbour Board housing at Kampong Bahru.

Initially, Wee covered sporting events such as soccer, badminton, table tennis, and basketball, which were usually at the stadiums or the amusement parks.

[1] In 1973, Wee was approached by then-Foreign Minister S. Rajaratnam to serve as Singapore's High Commissioner to Malaysia, which he accepted and subsequently left The Straits Times.

[1] During his time there, he lived in Kuala Lumpur and was credited by Rajaratnam in helping improve the relationship between the two countries, especially after the separation of Singapore from Malaysia a few years prior.

In 1959, Wee alongside fellow SATA Council member Sen Gupta introduced mobile x-ray machines to treat tuberculosis more efficiently in Singapore.

[17] Wee also served as a director for United Engineers, Wearne Brothers, and Banque Internationale à Luxembourg's Asia branch till 1985.

In August 1985, then-prime minister Lee Kuan Yew nominated Wee to become president at the 1985 presidential election after a five-month vacancy.

[27] In September 1985, Wee held talks with King of Bahrain Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa during the latter's three day visit to Singapore at the Istana.

[34][35] In February 1986, Wee invited Maltese president Agatha Barbara for a three-day visit and a state dinner in Singapore.

[39] Wee was also called on by Zaire prime minister (present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo) Léon Kengo wa Dondo when his 23-member delegation visited him at the Istana.

[48] Wee also invited Israeli president Chaim Herzog to Singapore for a three-day visit, which drew criticism from nearby countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia.

[51] In December 1986, Wee spoke at the 85th anniversary of the Singapore branch of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), expressing his concerns about problems in youths.

[53] In January 1987, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) apologised to Wee for "disparaging" comments made about him by a representative from their Kuala Lumpur branch in reference to Herzog's visit to Singapore.

[58] In April 1987, Wee spoke at a dinner by the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association about laws to help reduce inhalant abuse having been approved.

[59] In May 1987, Burmese deputy prime minister (present-day Myanmar) Tun Tin paid a courtesy call to Wee during his visit to Singapore.

[60] In June 1987, Wee was given a courtesy call by Premier of the Republic of China Yu Kuo-hwa during his five-day visit to Singapore.

[65] In October 1987, Governor-General of Papua New Guinea Kingsford Dibela visited Singapore for four days on the invitation of Wee.

[66] Wee spoke about improving ties between the countries, especially economically, seeing as how Singapore was Papua New Guinea's fourth largest trader the previous year.

[68] In November 1987, Princess Anne visited Singapore for four days and attended a dinner held by Wee and prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.

[69] In December 1987, he received the Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances around the corrupt practices of Minister of National Development Teh, who died from suicide the previous year before he could be charged.

[73] In June 1988, Wee met Spanish King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía of Spain upon their two-day visit to Singapore.

[74] In July 1988, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Iskandar of Johor visited Singapore for three days and attended a state banquet held in his honour by Wee.

During Wee's second term, the Parliament amended the constitution in 1991, to allow for an elected president, who could veto key political appointments and the use of government reserves.

They can examine the government's exercise of its powers under the Internal Security Act and religious harmony laws and investigate cases of corruption.

Before his death, he had asked to be cremated and for the ashes to be placed at Mandai Columbarium with those of ordinary citizens instead of Kranji State Cemetery, where late dignitaries are usually buried.

He was survived by his wife of 69 years, Koh Sok Hiong (1916–2018),[86][87] their son Bill Wee Hock Kee (1936–2015), six daughters, 13 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.