In this Malayali name, the person is referred to by their given name, Devan Nair or Nair, and not by their surname, Chengara Veetil.
Devan Nair
BBM
Nair in 1981
3rd President of Singapore
In office 23 October 1981 – 28 March 1985
Prime Minister
Lee Kuan Yew
Preceded by
Benjamin Sheares
Succeeded by
Wee Kim Wee
Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress
In office 1970–1979
Preceded by
Seah Mui Kok
Succeeded by
Lim Chee Onn
In office 1961–1965
Succeeded by
Steve Nayagan
Secretary-General of the Democratic Action Party
In office 11 October 1965 – 30 July 1967
Preceded by
Position established
Succeeded by
Goh Hock Guan
Secretary-General of the People's Action Party of Malaysia
In office 14 August 1965 – 9 September 1965
Preceded by
Lee Kuan Yew
Succeeded by
Position abolished
Member of the Singapore Parliament for Anson
In office 10 February 1979 – 13 October 1981
Preceded by
P. Govindaswamy
Succeeded by
J. B. Jeyaretnam
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Bangsar
In office 18 May 1964 – 20 March 1969
Preceded by
V. David
Succeeded by
Goh Hock Guan
Personal details
Born
Chengara Veetil Devan Nair
(1923-08-05)5 August 1923 Jasin, Malacca, Straits Settlements (now Malacca, Malaysia)[1]
Died
6 December 2005(2005-12-06) (aged 82) Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Cause of death
Dementia
Resting place
Hamilton, Ontario[2]
Political party
Independent
Other political affiliations
People's Action Party (1954–1965, 1979–1981) Democratic Action Party (1965–1967) Malayan Communist Party (until 1950)
Spouse
Avadai Dhanam Lakshimi
Children
4
Alma mater
Victoria School
Occupation
Politician
union leader
Chengara Veetil Devan NairBBM (5 August 1923 – 6 December 2005), also known as C. V. Devan Nair, better known as Devan Nair, was a Singaporean politician and union leader who served as the third president of Singapore from 1981 until his resignation in 1985.[3]
Politically active in both Malaysia and Singapore, Nair was a communist as a young adult, having been affiliated with the Malayan Communist Party (MCP). He harboured anti-colonial sentiments and campaigned for the self-determination of Singapore, which was then a British colony, causing him to be detained by the British in 1951. In 1954, he joined the People's Action Party (PAP). He was detained again by the British in 1956, and remained so until the PAP won the 1959 general election and helped secure his release.
During his parliamentary career, Nair was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Malaysian constituency of Bangsar between 1964 and 1969 and for the Singapore constituency of Anson between 1979 and 1981. Prior to his presidency, Nair was Secretary-General of the People's Action Party of Malaya prior to Singapore's expulsion from Malaysia, and continued to serve after the expulsion under its new name Democratic Action Party (DAP) which he founded until 1967.
Nair would soon return to Singapore and echoed his leftist beliefs by becoming involved in the labour movement, including serving as Secretary-General of the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) between 1970 and 1979, before taking up the presidency in 1981. He was succeeded by Wee Kim Wee on 2 September 1985. After his presidency in 1985, Nair retired from politics and briefly moved to the United States before moving again to live out his final years in Hamilton, Canada, when he died there at the age of 82 of dementia in 2005.
^"Devan Nair". National Library Board. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
^Independent, The (11 April 2016). "Of best friends, bitter foes and the bane of sailing through a fog".
^"Mr Devan Nair". www.istana.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
Chengara Veetil DevanNair BBM (5 August 1923 – 6 December 2005), also known as C. V. DevanNair, better known as DevanNair, was a Singaporean politician...
Abdul Samad Ismail, a writer for the Malay newspaper Utusan Melayu; and DevanNair. He next turned his attention to the Chinese-speaking majority and was...
English-language daily newspaper of Singapore Press Holdings. He is the son of C.V. DevanNair, the third President of Singapore. Janadas studied at the National University...
retired in 1968, continuing to serve in the public service. She married DevanNair in August 1953, who later became the President of Singapore. Born in 1925...
from 2 January 1971 until his death on 12 May 1981. He was succeeded by DevanNair on 23 October 1981. Benjamin Sheares remains the only Singaporean President...
Parliament were present while 14 members were absent. DevanNair was elected by the Parliament of Singapore. Nair was sworn in as the third president on 24 October...
office in both organisations at the same time. The NTUC's late founder, DevanNair, was a PAP stalwart and later served as President of Singapore. Ong Teng...
members of the Singaporean People's Action Party (PAP), Chen Man Hin and DevanNair, shortly after Singapore's expulsion from Malaysia. Singapore's expulsion...
Singapore on 30 August 1985, following the resignation of the incumbent, DevanNair. During the election, 73 members of Parliament were present and five members...
by DevanNair Succeeded by Ong Teng Chong Singaporean Ambassador to South Korea In office February 1981 – April 1984 President Benjamin Sheares Devan Nair...
and composer DevanNair (1923–2005), third President of Singapore Devan Wray (born 1979), Canadian lacrosse player and coach Aishwarya Devan (born 1993)...
Mohamad in Turbulent Times. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-23873-2. "Mr DevanNair". www.istana.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 2021-12-28. Retrieved...
Nairs C V DevanNair, former President of Singapore Pattom Thanupillai C. Krishna Pillai List of Nair Service Society educational institutions Nair Chattampi...
politician, diplomat, lawyer and author J B Jeyeratnam DevanNair - 3rd President of Singapore Hri Kumar Nair Indranee Rajah K. Shanmugam - Minister for Foreign...
independence. The 1981 by-election in the constituency of Anson was called when DevanNair stepped down from Parliament to become President of Singapore. Pang, who...
assumed the post of the acting President of Singapore for two days when DevanNair stepped down as President. Wee Chong Jin had also stepped in when Singapore's...
model. More left-leaning Indian leaders and intellectuals, such as C.V. DevanNair and James Puthucheary initially supported more radically left-wing groups...
ruling PAP won every seat, allowing nine new candidates, which include DevanNair and Tony Tan (both would later go on to become Presidents of Singapore)...
Khmer Rouge seized power in 1975. The games was opened and closed by DevanNair, the President of Singapore at the Singapore National Stadium. The final...
Secretary-General of the DAP after the resignation of then Secretary-General DevanNair. He led the DAP in Malaysian General Election, 1969. The party won 13...
Parliament and served until his death in 1981. Sheares was succeeded by DevanNair, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Anson SMC from 1979 to 1981...
General elections were held in Singapore on 22 December 1984. President DevanNair dissolved parliament on 4 December 1984 on the advice of Prime Minister...
President Ong Teng Cheong S. R. Nathan In office 1984–1989 President DevanNair Wee Kim Wee Personal details Born Kishore Mahbubani (1948-10-24) 24 October...
presidents nor cabinet ministers have lived there after the tenure of DevanNair, the third President of Singapore. The villas, which are meant to be used...
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