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Chengara Veetil Devan Nair, also known as C. V. Devan Nair, (August 5, 1923–December 7, 2005) was the third President of Singapore and was elected by Parliament on October 23, 1981. He served as President until 1985.

Youth

Nair was born in Malacca, Malaysia, but he and his family migrated to Singapore when he was 10 years old. When he was young, he received his education first at Rangoon Road Primary School and then at Victoria School where he passed his Senior Cambridge examination in 1940.

Career

Initially, a member of the Communist Anti-British League, he joined Lee Kuan Yew's People's Action Party in 1954. He was the only PAP member to win in the Malaysian general election, 1964, winning the Bangsar constituency, near Kuala Lumpur. He stayed in Malaysia after the Separation, forming the Democratic Action Party, but returned to Singapore to lead the labor union movement and found the National Trades Union Congress. He won the Anson seat in the 1979 elections, and accepted the largely ceremonial post of president in 1981.

Resignation

On March 28, 1985, Nair resigned in unclear circumstances. Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew stated in parliament that Nair resigned to get treatment for alcoholism, a charge Nair hotly denied. According to Nair's counterclaim, he resigned under pressure when their political views came into conflict and Lee threatened to seek a motion in parliament to oust him as president. Nair also alleged that he was fed drugs to make him appear disoriented, and rumours were spread about his personal life in an attempt to discredit him. In 1999, an article about the case in the Canadan newspaper Globe and Mail resulted in a libel suit by Lee. The suit was thrown out of court after Nair's counterclaim.

Nair moved to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1995. Upon the death of his wife, Avadai Dhanam in April 18, 2005, it was noted that the then terminally-ill former president Wee Kim Wee had sent condolences just two weeks before his own death. He passed away in Canada at around 12 noon SST on December 7, 2005.

Family

Nair is survived by 4 sons and 5 grandchildren. His eldest son, Janadas Devan, is a senior editor with the Singapore Straits Times.

Sources

• Former Singapore President Devan Nair dies
• Dodsworth & Brown Funeral Home (Robinson Chapel)
• UPI - New York times Archive (Published March 29, 1985)

• 1923 births
• 2005 deaths
• Presidents of Singapore
• Singaporean Members of Parliament
• People's Action Party (Singapore) politicians
• Malayali people