| Yusof bin Ishak | ||||
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Nationality |
Singaporean | |||
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Birthplace |
Perak, Malaysia | |||
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Birthdate |
August 12, 1910 | |||
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Deathplace |
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Deathdate |
November 23, 1970 | |||
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1st President of Singapore |
Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew Preceded by Succeeded by Benjamin Sheares | |||
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Religion |
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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. 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), 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.