Sellapan Ramanathan
| Sellapan Ramanathan செல்லப்பன் ராமநாதன் |
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|---|---|
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| S.R. Nathan | |
| President of Singapore | |
| In office 01 September 1999 – 31 August 2011 |
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| Prime Minister | Goh Chok Tong Lee Hsien Loong |
| Preceded by | Ong Teng Cheong |
| Succeeded by | Tony Tan Keng Yam |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 July 1924 Singapore |
| Spouse(s) | Umila Umi Nandey |
| Profession | Civil servant |
| Religion | Hindu |
Sellapan Ramanathan (Tamil: செல்லப்பன் ராமநாதன்; born July 3, 1924) is the sixth and current President of the Republic of Singapore. Often referred to as S. R. Nathan, he became president on September 1, 1999.
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Biography [change]
Early life [change]
Nathan is an Indian Singaporean; his childhood was spent with his three older sisters and parents, V. Sellapan and Apiram, in Muar, Johor, in a house near the sea.
By then the young Nathan had returned to where he was born, Singapore, to live with an uncle, and received his early education in several Anglo-Chinese Schools, such as the Rangoon Road Afternoon School, and later Victoria School. He started working before completing his studies. During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, Nathan worked for the Japanese civilian police as a translator.[1] After the war, while working, he completed his secondary education through self-study, and entered the University of Malaya (then in Singapore) where he graduated in 1954 with a Diploma in Social Studies (Distinction).
Becoming President [change]
His nomination was strongly supported by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew (then holding the post of Senior Minister). He succeeded the 5th President of Singapore Ong Teng Cheong and was sworn in on September 1, 1999.
On 12 July 2005 Nathan announced that he was seeking re-election as President. He applied to the Presidential Elections Committee; by 6 August 2005 three more people had also submitted forms, but on 13 August the Committee said that the other three applicants had been rejected as unsuitable. Nathan became the president of Singapore on 17 August. He became president for the second time on 1 September 2005.
His term ends on 31 August 2011, after which a new President must be elected. He was replaced by Tony Tan Keng Yam after the 2011 Presidential Elections in Singapore.
Personal life [change]
Nathan, a Hindu, is married to Urmila (Umi) Nandey and has a daughter, a son, and three grandchildren.
Notes and references [change]
- ↑ Zuraidah Ibrahim and Lydia Lim (22 Aug 1999). "He ran away from home when he was 16" (reprint at Ministry of Education, Singapore). The Straits Times. http://sam11.moe.gov.sg/racialharmony/SecondarySchool/stories_ranaway.html.
- 'President's tip on Ageing: Don't Think About It.' Straits Times. 19 October, 2007.
