Back يوسف بن إسحاق Arabic يوسف بن اسحاق ARZ Yusof bin Ishak AST Yusof bin İshak Azerbaijani ইউসুফ ইসহাক Bengali/Bangla Yusof bin Ishak German Yusof Ishak Spanish Yusof Ishak Basque یوسف بن اسحاق Persian Yusof Ishak French
Yusof Ishak | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 1963 | |
| 1st President of Singapore | |
| In office 9 August 1965 – 23 November 1970 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Kuan Yew |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Sheares |
| Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore | |
| In office 3 December 1959 – 9 August 1965 | |
| Monarchs | Queen Elizabeth II Putra of Perlis |
| Prime Minister | Lee Kuan Yew |
| Preceded by | Sir William Goode |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Yusof bin Ishak Al-Haj 12 August 1910 Terong, Taiping, Perak, Federated Malay States, British Malaya |
| Died | 23 November 1970 (aged 60) Singapore |
| Cause of death | Heart failure |
| Resting place | Kranji State Cemetery |
| Spouse | |
| Children |
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| Alma mater | Victoria Bridge School Raffles Institution |
| Occupation |
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| Website | http://www.istana.gov.sg/ |
Yusof bin Ishak DUT SK DUBC PJG (/ˈjʊsɒf bɪn ˈɪshɑːk/ YUUSS-off bin ISS-hahk; 12 August 1910 – 23 November 1970) was a Singaporean journalist and senior civil servant who served as the first president of Singapore between 1965 and 1970.
Prior to his appointment as Singapore's head of state, Yusof was a well-known journalist who co-founded Utusan Melayu, which was in circulation until 9 October 2019. He started his career in journalism after his graduation from Raffles Institution in 1929. In 1932, he joined Warta Malaya, a well-known Malay newspaper company at that time, before leaving in 1938 and co-founded Utusan Melayu.[1]
Yusof held many appointments within the Singapore Government. He served on the Film Appeal Committee from 1948 to 1950 and was 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.[2]
On 3 December 1959, Yusof succeeded Sir William Goode as Yang di-Pertuan Negara (English: Head of State) after the People's Action Party (PAP) won the 1959 general election.[3] Yusof was subsequently appointed as the first president of Singapore by Parliament after the independence of Singapore on 9 August 1965.
Yusof served 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. He was succeeded by Benjamin Sheares on 2 January 1971.
- ^ "Encik Yusof Ishak". Istana Singapore. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- ^ "Yusof Head of State. The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG". 2 December 1959. Archived from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ Seet, K. K. (2000). The Istana (pp.88–89). Singapore: Times Editions. Call no.: RART 725.17095957 IST; Singapore rejoices. (4 December 1959). The Straits Times, p. 1