In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 1884
- Died
- 1963
- Birthplace
- Bihar
- Country
- India
- Nationality
- Not independently established
- Known for
- Presiding over constitution-making and serving as India’s first president
Why this life matters
Prasad moved from law and the independence movement to the Constituent Assembly, then served as India’s first president from 1950 to 1962.
Timeline
Key moments
Assembly chair
Prasad becomes permanent presiding officer.
Closing address
He reflects on constitutional text and administration.
Republican presidency
Selection and assumption of office follow in January.
Law and the independence movement
Rajendra Prasad was born in Bihar in 1884 and studied at the University of Calcutta before building a legal career. He became involved in the independence movement and worked closely with Gandhi and the Indian National Congress. Public organisation, including the Bihari Students Conference in 1906, was part of his early contribution. His later national responsibilities grew from this combination of professional training and sustained participation in the movement for self-government.
Sources for this section: [1]
Presiding over constitution-making
Prasad became the Constituent Assembly’s permanent presiding officer in 1946, before independence. The role required him to guide proceedings in an institution charged with deciding the new constitutional framework. In his concluding address on 26 November 1949, he reflected on the difference between producing a constitution and making its institutions work. He emphasised the importance of the people who would administer it. The warning formed part of a closing political assessment, rather than another operative clause.
The first presidency
The Assembly elected Prasad president on 24 January 1950, and he took office when the republic began on 26 January. He subsequently continued through the constitutional electoral process and remained president until 1962. These dates distinguish selection, commencement of the republic and a long period in office. After retirement he lived in Patna and died in 1963. His career spans the transition from an independence campaign to constitution-making and the practical establishment of the head-of-state office within the republic that the Assembly had designed.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Rajendra Prasad
- What is Rajendra Prasad known for?
- Presiding over constitution-making and serving as India’s first president.
Keep exploring
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- B. R. Ambedkar
Compare the work of the Drafting Committee chairman during constitution-making.
Sources and further reading
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