Yusof bin Ishak

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Tun Yusof bin Ishak

1st President of Singapore
In office 9 August 1965 (retroactive) – 23 November 1970
Prime Minister	Lee Kuan Yew (1959–1990)
Preceded by	Newly created post (he was previously Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore)
Succeeded by	Benjamin Henry Sheares
2nd Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore
In office 3 December 1959 – 9 August 1965 (retroactive)
Preceded by	Sir William Allmond Codrington Goode
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Personal details
Born	12 August 1910 Perak, Federated Malay States (present day Malaysia)
Died	23 November 1970(1970-11-23) (aged 60) Singapore
Resting place	Kranji State Cemetery
Nationality	Singaporean
Spouse(s)	Toh Puan Noor Aishah
Alma mater	Primary school: Victoria Bridge School Secondary school: Raffles Institution
Occupation	Journalist
Religion	Islam
Website	www.istana.gov.sg

This is a Malay name; the name Ishak is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Yusof. The Arabic word "bin" ("b.") or "binti"/"binte" ("bt."/"bte."), if used, means "son of" or "daughter of" respectively.

Tun Yusof bin Ishak (Jawi: يوسف بن اسحاق ;/ˈjʊsɒf bɪn ˈɪs.hɑːk/ YUUSS-off bin ISS-hahk; 12 August 1910 – 23 November 1970) was the first President of Singapore, serving from 1965 to 1970. His portrait appears on the Singapore Portrait Series currency notes introduced in 1999.

Early life

Born on 12 August 1910 in Trong, Taiping, Perak Darul Ridzuan, which was then part of the Federated Malay States (present day Malaysia), Yusof was the descendant of prominent Sumatran Malay Datuk Jannatun who migrated to Penang in 1759.

Yusof was of Minangkabau descent from his father's side while his mother was a Malay from the Langkat region in Indonesia.^[1] His brother, Aziz Ishak, was a Malayan journalist and freedom fighter.

He received his primary education at Victoria Bridge School (now known as Victoria School),^[2] and secondary education at Raffles Institution.

At Raffles, he joined the Singapore National Cadet Corps. He was commissioned as the first ever cadet officer in the Corps.

Career

Yusof was well known both as a journalist and the founder of the Malay newspaper Utusan Melayu prior to becoming head of state of Singapore. He was married to Noor Aishah.

He first served as Yang di-Pertuan Negara (head of state) between 1959 and 1965, remaining in office during the time that Singapore was part of the Federation of Malaysia between 1963 and 1965. Following Singapore's departure from Malaysia in 1965, he served as the first President of the Republic until his death in 1970.

Yusof is buried at Kranji State Cemetery.

Awards and Honours

Darjah Utama Temasek, 1st Class
Seri Maharaja Mangku Negara (Malaysia)
Darjah Kerabat Mahkota Brunei, 1st Class

Notes

↑ The Istana – index
↑ Victoria Bridge School is the previous name of Victoria School which only offered primary school classes at the time. Victoria School is now a secondary school.

References

Library resources about Yusof bin Ishak
Resources in your library Resources in other libraries

"Yusof Ishak". ISTANA Singapore : Office of the President of the Republic of Singapore, Government of Singapore. 2006-04-28. Retrieved 2007-09-20.

Political offices
Preceded by Sir William Allmond Codrington Goode	Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore 1959–1965	Succeeded by Abolished
Preceded by Post created	President of Singapore 1965–1970	Succeeded by Benjamin Henry Sheares

v t e Presidents of Singapore

Incumbent	Tony Tan Keng Yam

Former	Yusof bin Ishak Benjamin Henry Sheares C. V. Devan Nair Wee Kim Wee Ong Teng Cheong S. R. Nathan

Presidential elections	1993 1999 2005 2011

Powers of the President of Singapore

Authority control	VIAF: 33784347

Persondata
Name	Yusof bin Ishak
Alternative names	Yusof Ishak
Short description	First President of Singapore
Date of birth	12 August 1910
Place of birth	Perak, Federated Malay States
Date of death	23 November 1970
Place of death	Singapore

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