Yusof Ishak

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Ishak is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Yusof.
His Excellency Tun
Yusof bin Ishak
DUT SK DUBC PJG
Yusuf_Ishak
1st President of Singapore
In office
9 August 1965 – 23 November 1970
Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yew
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byBenjamin Sheares
Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore
In office
3 December 1959 – 9 August 1965
MonarchsElizabeth II
Putra of Perlis
Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yew
Preceded bySir William Goode
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
Born
Yusof bin Ishak Al-Haj

(1910-08-12)12 August 1910
Terong, Taiping, Perak, Federated Malay States, British Malaya
Died23 November 1970(1970-11-23) (aged 60)
Singapore
Cause of deathHeart failure
Resting placeKranji State Cemetery
Political partyIndependent
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1949⁠–⁠1970)​
Children
  • Orkid Kamariah binti Yusof (daughter)
  • "Baba" Imran bin Yusof (son)
  • Zuriana binti Yusof (daughter)
Alma materVictoria Bridge School
Raffles Institution
Occupation
  • Journalist
  • civil servant
Websitewww.istana.gov.sg/yi

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. His portrait appears on the Singapore Portrait Series currency notes introduced in 1999.

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 (2 as Yang-di Pertuan Negara) before he died on 23 November 1970 due to heart failure. He was succeeded by Benjamin Sheares on 2 January 1971.

Serving as Singapore's Head of State for close to 11 years between 1959 and 1970, he was Singapore's longest-serving Head of State until S. R. Nathan surpassed this record in August 2010.

  1. ^ "Encik Yusof Ishak". Istana Singapore. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ 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