S. R. Nathan
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His Excellency S. R. Nathan செல்லப்பன் ராமநாதன் Cellappaṉ Rāmanātaṉ DUT (First Class), PJG, BBM, PPA(P) |
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| 6th President of Singapore | |
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In office 1 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, Straits Settlements |
| Died | 22 August 2016 (aged 92) Singapore General Hospital, Singapore |
| Spouse(s) | Urmila Nandey |
| Children | Juthika Ramanathan Osith Ramanathan |
| Alma mater | University of Malaya |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Sellapan Ramanathan, DUT (First Class), PJG, BBM, PPA(P) (pronunciation: /ˈsɛləpən rɑːməˈnɑːðən/; 3 July 1924 – 22 August 2016), usually referred to as S. R. Nathan, was the sixth President of Singapore from 1999 to 2011, having been elected in uncontested elections in 1999 and 2005. In 2009, he surpassed Benjamin Sheares to become Singapore's longest-serving President.
Nathan experienced a troubled youth – his father committed suicide, his three brothers died at an early age, he was twice expelled from school, and he ran away from home. After living by his wits as a translator for the Japanese during World War II, he completed his secondary education through a correspondence course, and then earned a diploma from the University of Malaya in Singapore in 1954. This was followed by a distinguished career in the Singapore Civil Service, which he joined in 1955. Between 1962 and 1966 he was seconded to the National Trades Union Congress, and then worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs. He was with the Security and Intelligence Division of the Defence Ministry when the Laju incident happened in 1974, and was among the government officers who agreed to accompany terrorists who had bombed petroleum tanks to Kuwait to secure the release of civilian hostages and ensure the terrorists' safe passage. He served as First Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Ministry from 1979 to 1982.
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