Yusof Ishak

Yusof bin Ishak DUT SK DUBC PJG
Yusof c. 1957–1959
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	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 (1910-08-12)12 August 1910 Padang Gajah, Terong, Larut, Matang and Selama District, Perak, Federated Malay States (present-day Perak, Malaysia)
Died	23 November 1970(1970-11-23) (aged 60) Singapore
Cause of death	Heart failure
Resting place	Kranji State Cemetery
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Noor Aishah Mohammad Salim ​ ​ (m. 1949)​
Relations	Aziz Ishak (younger brother) Abdul Rahim Ishak (younger brother)
Children	3
Parent	Ishak bin Ahmad (father)
Alma mater	Victoria Bridge School Raffles Institution
Occupation	Journalist civil servant

Yusof bin Ishak (/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 second Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore from 1959 to 1965 and the first president of Singapore between 1965 and 1970, both roles serving as the head of state of Singapore. Born in the Federated Malay States, Yusof had his education in Malaysia and Singapore, graduating from Raffles Institution in 1929. Upon his graduation, he worked in journalism, creating a sports magazine with friends before joining Warta Malaya, a Malay-language daily newspaper. Leaving Warta in 1938, Yusof co-founded Utusan Melayu, a newspaper more centred on Malay issues, in 1939 with other Malay figures in Singapore.

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