Post: | Spouse |
Body: | the President of Singapore |
Incumbent: | Jane Yumiko Ittogi |
Residence: | The Istana |
Incumbentsince: | 14 September 2023 |
Inaugural: | Noor Aishah |
The spouse of the president of Singapore is sometimes referred to as the first lady or first gentleman, although it is a courtesy term not enshrined in the Constitution. By tradition, an official portrait of the spouse of the president of Singapore is prominently displayed in government buildings alongside the portrait of the president.[1]
Jane Yumiko Ittogi is the spouse of the ninth President of Singapore, after her husband Tharman Shanmugaratnam won the 2023 presidential election with 70% of the valid votes.
In December 1959, Noor Aishah, wife of President Yusof Ishak, became the first person to assume the role at the age of 26.[2] Her biography, Puan Noor Aishah: Singapore's First Lady, was published in 2017.[3]
On 14 September 2017, Mohammed Abdullah Alhabshee became the first gentleman, after his wife Halimah Yacob won the 2017 presidential election by an uncontested walkover.[4]
No | Portrait | Spouse of the President | President | Start date | End date | Ref | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Noor Aishah | Yusof Ishak | 9 August 1965 | 23 November 1970 | |||
2 | Yeo Seh Geok | 2 January 1971 | 12 May 1981 | ||||
3 | Avadai Dhanam Lakshimi | Devan Nair | 23 October 1981 | 28 March 1985 | |||
4 | Koh Sok Hiong | Wee Kim Wee | 2 September 1985 | 1 September 1993 | |||
5 | Ling Siew May | Ong Teng Cheong | 2 September 1993 | 30 July 1999 | |||
6 | Urmila "Umi" Nandey | Sellapan Ramanathan | 1 September 1999 | 31 August 2011 | |||
7 | Mary Chee Bee Kiang | Tony Tan Keng Yam | 1 September 2011 | 31 August 2017 | [5] | ||
8 | Mohammed Abdullah Alhabshee | Halimah Yacob | 14 September 2017 | 14 September 2023 | [6] | ||
9 | Jane Yumiko Ittogi | Tharman Shanmugaratnam | 14 September 2023 | Incumbent | [7] |