Yusof Ishak

Yusof bin Ishak (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.

Born on 12 August 1910 in Kampung Padang Gajah, Terong, Taiping, Perak Darul Ridzuan, which was then part of the Federated Malay States (present day Malaysia), Yusof was the eldest son in a family of nine.

He was of Minangkabau descent from his father's side while his mother was a Malay from the Langkat region in Indonesia.

His father, Ishak bin Ahmad, was also a civil servant and held the post of Acting Director of Fisheries, Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States.

His brother, Aziz Ishak, was a Malayan journalist and freedom fighter.

Yusof received his early education in a Malay school in Kuala Kurau, Perak and began his English studies in 1921 at King Edward VII School in Taiping, He was then admitted to Victoria Bridge School in 1923 when his father was posted to Singapore.

In 1924, he was enrolled in Raffles Institution for his secondary education.

During his time in Raffles Institution, he played various sports such as swimming, weight lifting, water-polo, boxing, hockey and cricket and had also represented the school in various sporting events.

He was also part of the Singapore National Cadet Corps and was commissioned as the first ever cadet officer in the Corps due to his outstanding performance.

Yusof received his Cambridge School Certificate with distinction in 1927, he was also awarded the Queen's Scholarship and decided to prolong his studies at Raffles Institution until 1929.

He started his career in journalism after his graduation from Raffles Institution in 1929.

After graduating from Raffles Institution in 1929, Yusof began his career as a journalist and went into partnership with two other friends to publish, Sportsman, a sports magazine devoted entirely to sports.

In 1932, he joined Warta Malaya, a well-known Malay newspaper company at that time, before leaving in 1938 and co-founded Utusan Melayu.

Yusof held many appointments within the Singapore Government.

In 1932, Yusof joined Warta Malaya, a well-known newspaper during that time.

Warta Malaya was heavily influenced by developments in the Middle East and Yusof wanted a newspaper dedicated to Malay issues.

He fulfilled his vision by establishing Utusan Melayu with several Malay leaders in Singapore in May 1939.

During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, Utusan Melayu had to stop circulation as machinery used to print the paper were requisitioned to publish the Japanese paper, Berita Malai.

Yusof then moved back to Taiping and with the remaining money he had, he opened a provision shop and lived there until the war ended in 1945 and Utusan Melayu resumed publication.

During the post-war period, many Malays wanted independence of Malaya from the British and Yusof, fanned this fervour through his publications which resulted in the formation of the United Malay Nationalist Organisation (UMNO) in 1946.

However, his democratic ideals were different from UMNO's vision of reestablishing the monarchy of Malaya.

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.

Yusof held several appointments within the Singaporean government, he had 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.

After his resignation from Utusan Melayu, Yusof took the position of Chairman of the Public Service Commission of Singapore at the invitation of then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

In 1957, Yusof moved to Kuala Lumpur and in February 1958, the headquarters of Utusan Melayu was also relocated to the city.

In July 1959, he was appointed Chairman of the Public Service Commission.

On 3 December 1959, Yusof succeeded Sir William Goode as Yang di-Pertuan Negara (Head of State) after the People's Action Party (PAP) won the 1959 general election.

This resulted in rising tensions within the Utusan Melayu and in 1959, Yusof had sold his shares he had in the company and resigned as UMNO had bought over almost all of the shares of Utusan Melayu.

After PAP's victory from the 1959 Singaporean elections, Yusof was appointed as Yang di-Pertuan Negara and was sworn on 3 December 1959, briefly becoming the first sovereign monarch of Singapore since Raja Iskandar Shah after its independence from Malaysia.

During his time as Yang di-Pertuan Negara, Singapore was divided by racial conflicts.

Yusof actively promoted multiculturalism and reached out to people of all races to help restore trust and confidence after the 1964 racial riots.

Yusof was subsequently appointed as the first president of Singapore by Parliament after the independence of Singapore on 9 August 1965.

On 9 August 1965, Singapore was expelled from Malaysia and became an independent nation.

The position of Yang di-Pertuan Negara was abolished and Yusof then became the first President of Singapore.

As president, Yusof reached out to the people to reassure citizens astonished by Singapore's expulsion and continued to promote multiculturalism and a national identity within the country by visiting constituencies and reached out to different racial and religious groups.

Yusof served three terms in office before he died on 23 November 1970 due to heart failure.

Yusof served for three terms in office before he died on 23 November 1970 due to heart failure.

He was succeeded by Benjamin Sheares on 2 January 1971.

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.