Yusof bin Ishak (1910-1970), a Malay leader, became the first local head of state for Singapore. In 1959, he was installed as Yang di Pertuan Negara, a Malay title equivalent to head of state. From 1965 to 1970, he served as Singapore’s first president.
Yusof bin Ishak was born in Perak, which is now part of Malaysia. He was educated at Singapore’s Raffles Institution, where he was a Queen’s scholar. A prominent Malay journalist, he helped to found the Utusan Melayu (Malay Courier), a newspaper that became a voice for Malay nationalism in the 1930’s. He served as the chancellor of the University of Singapore from 1965 to 1970.
