Dr. Rajendra Prasad served as the first President of independent India, being in office from 1950 to 1962. He was the only President to serve two full terms.
A lawyer by profession, Dr. Prasad had been an influential leader during the Indian freedom struggle. He worked along with Mahatma Gandhi early in the non-cooperation movement for independence. Rajendra Prasad joined the Indian National Congress in 1911. He was the president of the Indian National Congress in the years 1934, 1939, and 1947. He was arrested for his support of the Salt Satyagraha Movement of 1931, and the Quit India Movement of 1942.
In September 1946, he became the first Minister of food and agriculture in the interim government preceding full independence. From 1946 to 1949, he presided over the Indian Constituent Assembly, and helped to shape the constitution.
As the first President of India, he set himself as a powerful precedent for others to follow. Dr. Prasad retired from public life in 1962, after serving as the President of India for 12 years, because of his deteriorating health. That same year he was honoured with the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award.
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