Biography Of Hoo Ah Kay

Hoo Ah Kay was born in Canton, China. He was named as (Whompa)because of his birth place. In 1830, he came to Singapore as a 14 year old boy to help his father. His father ran a shop at the corner of Bonham Street and Boat Quay which supplied the docking ships with food such as beef, bread and vegetables.
With his fluency in the English Language, Whampoa soon became an asset to his father's shop and helped to faciliate transactions with the Europeans and British.
After his father passed on, Whompa inherited the family business and became extremely successful.
He owned a bakery in Havelock Road and a warehouse, Whampoa ice house in Clarke Quay.
His business in ice proved unsuccessful as the demand for ice in Singapore was too low. However, his venture in baking lasted much longer and was more profitable.
When the Legislative Council was first formed in 1867, he was one of the Unofficial Members. In 1869, he became the first Asian member of the Legislative Council，the first and Chinese to have held this seat.With this position, he could help fight for rights for the Chinese immigrants, so the Chinese would not be treated unfairly.
The impact he made on Singapore should be classified as political impact.