Dr. Zakir Husain — The Educator Who Became President | First Muslim President of India
Zakir Husain Khan was born on 8 February 1897 in Hyderabad, then the capital of the princely state of Hyderabad. His family was of Afridi Pashtun background, with ancestral connections to Qaimganj in present-day Uttar Pradesh. His father, Fida Husain Khan, was a lawyer in Hyderabad. After his father's death in 1907, the family moved to Etawah in the United Provinces, where Zakir continued his education. His mother, Naznin Begum, died during the 1911 plague epidemic, leaving a lasting impression on him and his family. He matriculated in 1913 and subsequently studied at the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh. In 1915, while still a student, he married Shah Jahan Begum. He completed his graduation in 1918 and continued his higher studies in economics and related disciplines.
In 1920, Zakir Husain completed his master's degree and became associated with the newly established National Muslim University at Aligarh. The institution had emerged during the Non-Cooperation Movement as part of the effort to create a national educational institution independent of colonial government control. It later moved to Delhi and became Jamia Millia Islamia. Husain's association with Jamia would become the defining educational commitment of his life.
In September 1922, Husain went to Germany for advanced studies in economics. He remained there until February 1926, studying at the University of Berlin under the eminent economist Werner Sombart. He completed his doctorate in economics in 1926, with his work receiving the distinction summa cum laude. During his years in Germany, he also developed his intellectual interests in European philosophy, economics, literature, and education.
In 1926, Zakir Husain returned from Germany and joined Jamia Millia Islamia along with his colleagues Dr. Abid Husain and Mohammad Mujeeb. He became the institution's Vice-Chancellor, a position he held from 1926 to 1948. Jamia faced serious financial and organizational difficulties during these years. Husain accepted a modest salary and helped establish the institution's Life Members, a group of teachers who pledged long-term service to Jamia. His leadership helped sustain the institution through repeated financial and ideological crises.
In 1937, Mahatma Gandhi's educational initiative at the Wardha Educational Conference brought Husain's expertise in education to national prominence. Husain chaired the committee responsible for developing the syllabus for the Basic Education scheme. His committee's report became an important foundation for the educational approach associated with Nai Talim, emphasizing productive work, practical learning, and the development of the whole person.
In November 1948, Zakir Husain became Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. He served in that position until September 1956. His leadership came during a period when Indian universities were adapting to independence and the profound social and political changes that followed Partition. He worked to strengthen AMU as a major institution of higher learning within independent India.
In 1952, Husain was nominated to the Rajya Sabha. He served as a member from 3 April 1952 to 2 April 1956 and was re-nominated for a second term beginning 3 April 1956, serving until 6 July 1957. His parliamentary service added a new dimension to his long career in education and public life.
From 1956 to 1958, Husain served on the Executive Board of UNESCO. In 1957, he was appointed Governor of Bihar, a position he held until 1962. In these years, his reputation as an educationist and public intellectual increasingly extended into national constitutional service.
On 13 May 1962, Zakir Husain became the Vice President of India and, by virtue of that office, the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. He served as Vice President until 12 May 1967. His conduct in the office reflected his reputation for scholarship, dignity, and parliamentary impartiality.
In recognition of his distinguished contribution to education and public life, Zakir Husain was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 1963. Earlier, in 1954, he had received the Padma Vibhushan.
Zakir Husain was elected President of India in May 1967 and was sworn in on 13 May 1967, succeeding Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. He became the third President of India and the first Muslim to hold the presidency. His election represented an important moment in the constitutional history of a secular and plural democratic republic. His presidency emphasized education, democratic values, constitutional responsibility, and the importance of intellectual and moral leadership in public life.
Zakir Husain had suffered a mild heart attack earlier in 1969. After returning to New Delhi from a tour of Assam on 26 April 1969, he became unwell. On 3 May 1969, he died of a heart attack at Rashtrapati Bhavan while still serving as President. He was 72 years old. He became the first Indian President to die in office.
His death led to a constitutional succession process and a major political contest over the next President of India. Vice President V. V. Giri became Acting President, and the subsequent presidential election became closely connected with the growing conflict between Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the Congress organization. The presidential contest of 1969, in which V. V. Giri ultimately defeated N. Sanjiva Reddy, contributed to the political divisions that culminated in the split of the Indian National Congress later that year.
Zakir Husain's funeral was held on 5 May 1969, and he was buried on the campus of Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. A mausoleum was subsequently built at his grave, making the site one of the most important memorial locations associated with his life and work.
His published works include Capitalism: An Essay in Understanding, Shiksha, Educational Discourses, The Dynamic University, and other writings on education, economics, ethics, and public life. He also translated major works into Urdu, including Plato's Republic, Friedrich List's National System of Economics, and Edwin Cannan's Elements of Economics. His writings and translations reflected his belief that education should connect intellectual development with social responsibility and national reconstruction.
Husain also wrote in Urdu on political economy and literature, and his intellectual interests extended to classical Persian and Urdu literature. His literary and educational writings complemented his public career and helped establish him as one of India's prominent educationist-intellectuals of the twentieth century.
Chronology & Milestones
Places Associated with Dr. Zakir Husain
Hyderabad (Telangana) – Birthplace and location of his early childhood.
Etawah (Uttar Pradesh) – Important location in his schooling and formative years.
Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh) – Home of the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, where he studied and later completed his higher education; also the original location of the National Muslim University.
Berlin (Germany) – Location of his doctoral studies in economics at the University of Berlin from 1922 to 1926.
Delhi – Home of Jamia Millia Islamia, where Husain served as Vice-Chancellor from 1926 to 1948 and where his mausoleum is located.
Patna (Bihar) – Associated with his service as Governor of Bihar from 1957 to 1962.
Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi – Where he served as President of India and died in office on 3 May 1969.
Summary – The Educator Who Shaped a Nation
Dr. Zakir Husain transformed Indian education and public life during a period of profound national change. From his early involvement with the National Muslim University to his 22 years as Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, he devoted much of his life to developing institutions of education. His later leadership of Aligarh Muslim University, service as Governor of Bihar and Vice President of India, and eventual election as President reflected the breadth of his contribution to the country.
As the first Muslim President of India, Zakir Husain occupied the highest constitutional office while retaining the intellectual identity of an educationist. His presidency lasted less than two years, but his public career represented a much longer commitment to education, scholarship, national service, and democratic institutions. His Bharat Ratna in 1963 recognized a lifetime of contribution rather than simply his later constitutional offices.
Zakir Husain remains closely associated with Jamia Millia Islamia, where his leadership helped the institution survive severe financial and organizational difficulties. His educational philosophy, writings, translations, and public service continue to form an important part of India's twentieth-century intellectual and institutional history.
For the people of India, Zakir Husain remains an enduring example of the educationist-statesman: a scholar of economics who devoted much of his career to education, an institution-builder who entered constitutional public service, and the first Muslim to serve as President of India. His life demonstrates the central place that education, intellectual discipline, public responsibility, and institutional service played in the making of modern India.
- President of India – Dr. Zakir Husain Profile
- Jamia Millia Islamia – History and Past Vice-Chancellor Profile of Dr. Zakir Husain
- Aligarh Muslim University – List of Vice-Chancellors
- Rajya Sabha – Biographical Profile of Dr. Zakir Husain
- Rajya Sabha – Nominated Members of the Rajya Sabha, 1952–2002
- Government of India – Padma Awards and Bharat Ratna records
- Jamia Millia Islamia – Dr. Zakir Husain Bibliography and archival material
- Encyclopaedia Britannica – Zakir Husain
Note: Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi is one of the most significant sites associated with Dr. Zakir Husain. He served as its Vice-Chancellor from 1926 to 1948 and was later its Chancellor from 1963 until his death in 1969. His mausoleum is located on the university campus.