Yusof Ishak

President of Singapore

Yusof bin Ishak 12 August 1910 Terong, Taiping, Perak, Federated Malay States

23 November 1970(1970-11-23) (60) Singapore

9 August 1965 – 23 November 1970

1st President of Singapore (1910–1970) Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Dato’ Laila Utama Haji Yusof Bin Ishak DUT (First Class), SMN, KStJيوسف بن إسحاق1st President of SingaporeIn office 9 August 1965 – 23 November 1970Prime Minister Lee Kuan YewPreceded by Office establishedSucceeded by Benjamin Sheares1st Yang di-Pertua Negeri of SingapuraIn office 16 September 1963 – 9 August 1965MonarchPutra of PerlisPrime Minister Lee Kuan YewPreceded by Yang di-Pertuan NegaraSucceeded by Position abolished2nd Yang di-Pertuan Negara of SingapuraIn office 3 December 1959 – 16 September 1963MonarchQueen Elizabeth II Tuanku Abdul Rahman Sultan Hisamuddin Alam ShahPrime Minister Lee Kuan YewPreceded by Sir William GoodeSucceeded by Position abolished1st Commander-in-Chief of Singapore Armed ForcesIn office 9 August 1965 – 23 November 1970Prime Minister Lee Kuan YewPreceded by Position establishedSucceeded by Benjamin Sheares Personal detailsBornYusof bin Ishak (1910-08-12 ) 12 August 1910 Terong, Taiping, Perak, Federated Malay StatesDied23 November 1970(1970-11-23) (aged 60) SingaporeCause of deathHeart failureResting placeKranji State CemeteryNationalitySingaporeanSpouse(s)Noor Aishah Mohammad Salim ​ ​(m. 1949 ⁠–⁠1970 )​ChildrenOrkid Kamariah binti Yusof (daughter)"Baba" Imran bin Yusof (son)Zuriana binti Yusof (daughter)Alma materVictoria School Raffles InstitutionOccupationPoliticianProfessionJournalistWebsitehttp://www.istana.gov.sg/Military serviceAllegianceStraits Settlements (to 1946) Colony of Singapore (to 1959) Colony of Singapore (to 1963) Malaysia (to 1965) Singapore (to 1970)Branch/service Federation of Malaya Police (to 1933) Malaya Command (to 1957) Singapore Infantry Regiment (1957–1970) Malaysian Armed Forces (1963–1965) Singapore Armed Forces (1966–1970)Years of service1929–1970Rank Colonel; CINCUnitSingapore Infantry Regiment Singapore Armed ForcesCommandsCommander-in-Chief Colonel of the RegimentBattles/warsWorld War II (1939–1945) Japanese occupation of Malaya Battle of Singapore Japanese occupation of Singapore Part of (Cold War) Malayan Emergency (1948–1960) Konfrontasi (1962–1966) Yusof bin Ishak DUT (First Class), SMN, KStJ (/ˈ j ʊ s ɒ f b ɪ n ˈ ɪ s h ɑː k / YUUSS -off bin ISS -hahk; Jawi: يوسف بن إسحاق ‎; 12 August 1910 – 23 November 1970) was a Singaporean politician who was the first President of Singapore elected by the Parliament of Singapore, serving from 1965 to 1970. Before becoming head-of-state, Yusof was a well-known journalist and co-founded Utusan Melayu, which was in circulation till 9 October 2019. He started journalism after he graduated from Raffles Institution in 1929 and in 1932, he joined Warta Malaya, a well-known Malay newspaper company at that time. He left the company in 1938 and co-founded Utusan Melayu. Yusof held many appointments within the Singaporean government. He served on the Film Appeal Committee from 1948 to 1950 and was also a member of both the Nature Reserves Committee and Malayanisation Commission for a year. In July 1959, he was appointed Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Singapore. He was sworn on 3 December that year as Singapore's Yang di-Pertuan Negara (head of state) after the PAP won the first election held in Singapore after Singapore's self-governance. Yusof then became the first President of Singapore after the country gained independence on 9 August 1965. Yusof served for three terms in office before he died on 23 November 1970 due to heart failure. His portrait appears on the Singapore Portrait Series currency notes introduced in 1999.