Zakir Hussain (politician)

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This article is about Dr. Zakir Hussain, the former Indian president. There is a separate article about Zakir Hussain, the tabla player.

Zakir Hussain
Date of Birth:	8 February, 1897
Date of Death:	3 May 1969
Place of Birth:	Hyderabad, India
President of India
Tenure Order:	3rd President
Took Office:	13 May 1967
Left Office:	3 May 1969
Predecessor:	S. Radhakrishnan
Successor:	V V Giri

Zakir Hussain (Hindi: ज़ाकिर हुसैन, Urdu: زاکِر حسین), February 8, 1897-May 3, 1969, was the third President of India from May 13 1967 until his death.

Hussain was born in Hyderabad (India). His Pashtun father had migrated to Hyderabad from Uttar Pradesh. He was educated at Islamia High School in Secunderabad, and at the Anglo-Muhammadan Oriental College (now Aligarh Muslim University).

Hussain, then only 23, was among the small group of students and teachers who founded a National Muslim University near Delhi and named it Jamia Millia Islamia.

Hussain's quest for knowledge also took him to Germany in the 1920s. During three years there, he acquired a love for European art, literature and music. He was awarded a doctorate in economics from the University of Berlin.

After serving as the Governor of Bihar from 1957 to 1962, and as the Vice President of India from 1962 to 1967, Hussain was elected President of India on May 13 1967. In his inaugural speech he said that the whole of India was his home and all its people were his family.

Hussain was also the uncle of General Rahimuddin Khan. In 1963, he was awarded the highest Indian national honour, the Bharat Ratna.

Preceded by: Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan	President of India May 13, 1967 - May 3, 1969	Succeeded by: Varahagiri Venkata Giri

Presidents of India <td style="vertical-align: middle; width: 1px" rowspan="2"> Image:Flag of India.svg </td>
Rajendra Prasad • Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan • Zakir Hussain • V. V. Giri • Muhammad Hidayat Ullah • V. V. Giri • Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed • Basappa Danappa Jatti • Neelam Sanjiva Reddy • Zail Singh • R. Venkataraman • Shankar Dayal Sharma • K. R. Narayanan • Abdul Kalam