Syngman Rhee

Syngman Rhee
이승만 李承晩
Syngman Rhee in 1956
1st President of South Korea
In office July 24, 1948 – April 26, 1960
Vice President	Yi Si-yeong Kim Seong-su Ham Tae-young Chang Myon Yun Posun
Preceded by	Office created
Succeeded by	Yun Posun
President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Exile
In office September 11, 1919 – March 21, 1925
Prime Minister	Yi Donghwi Yi Dongnyeong Sin Gyu-sik No Baek-rin Park Eunsik
Preceded by	Office created
Succeeded by	Park Eunsik
Personal details
Born	Rhee Syngman (1875-04-18)April 18, 1875 Neungnae-dong, Daegyeong-ri, Masan-myeon, Pyeongsan County, Hwanghae Province, Joseon (now North Korea)
Died	July 19, 1965(1965-07-19) (aged 90) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Resting place	Seoul National Cemetery
Nationality	South Korean, American, Austrian
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Seungseon Park (1890~1910) Francesca Donner (1934~1965)
Children	Rhee Bong-su or 이봉수(1898 - 1908), Rhee In-soo Yi In-su or 이인수 - (b. September 1, 1931) - adopted
Alma mater	George Washington University (B.A.) Harvard University (M.A.) Princeton University (Ph.D.)
Religion	Methodism
Signature

Syngman Rhee (Korean: 이승만, pronounced [i.sɯŋ.man], Korean "Rhee Syngman"; April 18, 1875 – July 19, 1965) was a South Korean statesman, the first president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, and the first President of the Republic of Korea (commonly referred to as South Korea). His three-term presidency of South Korea (August 1948 to April 1960) was strongly affected by Cold War tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Rhee was regarded as an anti-Communist and a strongman, and he led South Korea through the Korean War. His presidency ended in resignation following popular protests against a disputed election. He died in exile in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Syngman Rhee was born on April 18, 1875; his birthday is also stated as March 26, the lunar date, and April 26. Rhee was born in Hwanghae Province into a rural family of modest means as the third son out of 3 brothers and 2 sisters. His two older brothers both died in infancy. Rhee's family traced its lineage back to King Taejong of Joseon. He is a 16th-generation descendant of Grand Prince Yangnyeong. In 1877, Rhee (age 2) and his family moved to Seoul.

In Seoul, he had traditional Confucianism education in seodangs in Nakdong (낙동; 駱洞) and Dodong (도동; 桃洞). He was portrayed as a potential candidate for gwageo, the Korean civil service examination. When he was 9, he was rendered virtually blind through smallpox and was cured by Horace Newton Allen, an American medical missionary.