# Fame.am profile — machine-readable export
# Canonical URL: https://fame.am/person/s-r-nathan
# Generated: 2026-08-13T16:07:10.926Z

schema: https://schema.org/Person
url: "https://fame.am/person/s-r-nathan"
name: "S. R. Nathan"
slug: "s-r-nathan"
description: "Singapore's sixth president, longest in office, twice elected unopposed — but the attention clings to 1974, when he volunteered to board a plane with armed terrorists to save hostages during the Laju incident."
tagline: "6th President of Singapore (1924–2016)"
image: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/President_of_Singapore_SR_Nathan.jpg"
gender: "male"
category:
  name: "Politicians"
  slug: "politicians"
profileType:
  name: "Politician"
  slug: "politician"
birthDate: "1924-07-03"
deathDate: "2016-08-22"
livingStatus: "DECEASED"
scores:
  popularity:           53.97
  momentum:             1.369969040247678
  historical:           21.998756
  currentAttention:     0
  sourceConfidence:     60
  profileCompleteness:  60
  trendDirection:       "STABLE"
ranks:
  global:   null
  country:  null
  category: null
tags:
  - name: "Politicians"
    slug: "politicians"
  - name: "Politician"
    slug: "politician"
  - name: "Politics"
    slug: "politics"
  - name: "20th Century"
    slug: "20th-century"
sources:
  - url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._R._Nathan"
    title: "Wikipedia"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q212188"
    title: "Wikidata"
    type:  "WIKIDATA"
  - url: "https://pantheon.world/profile/person/S.%20R.%20Nathan"
    title: "Pantheon 2.0"
    type:  "DATABASE"
  - url: "https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8_%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A5%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8"
    title: "সেল্লাপান রামানাথান"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sellapan_Ramanathan"
    title: "Sellapan Ramanathan"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%A3%CE%B5%CE%BB%CE%B1%CF%80%CE%AC%CE%BD_%CE%A1%CE%B1%CE%BC%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%AC%CE%B8%CE%B1%CE%BD"
    title: "Σελαπάν Ραμανάθαν"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sellapan_Ramanathan"
    title: "Sellapan Ramanathan"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sellapan_Ramanathan"
    title: "Sellapan Ramanathan"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sellapan_Ramanathan"
    title: "Sellapan Ramanathan"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sellapan_Ramanathan"
    title: "Sellapan Ramanathan"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%BE%D8%A7%D9%86_%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86"
    title: "سلاپان راماناتان"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sellapan_Ramanathan"
    title: "Sellapan Ramanathan"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sellapan_Ramanathan"
    title: "Sellapan Ramanathan"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sellapan_Rama_Nathan"
    title: "Sellapan Rama Nathan"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A1%D7%9C%D7%A4%D7%9F_%D7%A8%D7%9E%D7%A0%D7%AA%D7%9F"
    title: "סלפן רמנתן"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%8F%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%B0_%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%B0_%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5%E0%A4%A8"
    title: "एस॰ आर॰ नाथन"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sellapan_Ramanathan"
    title: "Sellapan Ramanathan"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://io.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sellapan_Ramanathan"
    title: "Sellapan Ramanathan"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sellapan_Ramanathan"
    title: "Sellapan Ramanathan"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%E3%83%BBR%E3%83%BB%E3%83%8A%E3%82%B6%E3%83%B3"
    title: "S・R・ナザン"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%A1%E1%83%94%E1%83%9A%E1%83%90%E1%83%A4%E1%83%90%E1%83%9C_%E1%83%A0%E1%83%90%E1%83%9B%E1%83%90%E1%83%9C%E1%83%90%E1%83%97%E1%83%90%E1%83%9C%E1%83%98"
    title: "სელაფან რამანათანი"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://kn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B2%8E%E0%B2%B8%E0%B3%8D_%E0%B2%86%E0%B2%B0%E0%B3%8D_%E0%B2%A8%E0%B2%BE%E0%B2%A5%E0%B2%A8%E0%B3%8D"
    title: "ಎಸ್ ಆರ್ ನಾಥನ್"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._R._%EB%82%98%EC%82%B0"
    title: "S. R. 나산"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://la.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sellapan_Ramanathan"
    title: "Sellapan Ramanathan"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B4%8E%E0%B4%B8%E0%B5%8D.%E0%B4%86%E0%B5%BC._%E0%B4%A8%E0%B4%BE%E0%B4%A5%E0%B5%BB"
    title: "എസ്.ആർ. നാഥൻ"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86_%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7_%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%86"
    title: "سيلابان راما ناطان"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86_%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7_%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%86"
    title: "سيلابان راما ناطان"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"

# bio (long form, separated for readability)
bio: |
  Born in the Straits Settlements in 1924, Sellapan Ramanathan left school after his father died and worked odd jobs through the Japanese occupation, including as a translator. He finished a diploma in social studies in 1954 and entered the civil service, rising through the Labour Ministry and Foreign Ministry to Director of the Security and Intelligence Division. In 1974, during the Laju incident, he accompanied members of the Japanese Red Army and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine out of Singapore to secure the release of civilian hostages — a gamble that drew international notice. He later chaired The Straits Times Press, served as High Commissioner to Malaysia and Ambassador to the United States, then became president in 1999, re-elected in 2005, both times unopposed. His presidency, ceremonial by design, leaned into public engagement and charitable work, including the President's Challenge launched in 2000. He retired in 2011 and died five years later at 92, accorded a state funeral.