Hussein Onn

Tun Hussein bin Dato' Onn (حسين بن عون; 12 February 1922 – 29 May 1990) was a Malaysian lawyer and politician who served as the third Prime Minister of Malaysia from the death of his predecessor Abdul Razak Hussein in 1976 to his retirement in 1981. Moreover, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for from 1974 to 1981, representing Barisan Nasional (BN) and United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). He was granted the soubriquet Father of Unity (Bapa Perpaduan).

Family
Hussein bin Onn was born on 12 February 1922 in Johor Bahru to Onn Jaafar (1895–1962) and Halimah Hussein (1900–1988). His father was a fighter for Malaysian independence and co-founder of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). Hussein's grandfather, Jaafar Haji Muhammad, was the first Menteri Besar of Johor while his grandmother, Rogayah Hanim, came from the Caucasus region of Ottoman Empire. She was likely presented as a concubine (see Circassian beauties) by the Ottoman court to the Sultan of Johor.

Additionally, Hussein was the brother-in-law of Abdul Razak Hussein, his predecessor as prime minister, for whom Hussein wed Suhailah Noah, a daughter of first Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat Mohamed Noah Omar, in 1948. Abdul Razak was also concurrently married to another of Mohamed Noah's daughter, Rahah Noah.

Hussein and Suhaila had six children, including their fourth child, Hishammuddin Hussein, who is a senior UMNO politician since the 1990s. Their eldest daughter, Datin Roquaiya Hanim (born 1950), died on 17 September 2006 from breast cancer.

Early education and career
Hussein received his early education at Telok Kurau Primary School, Singapore, and at the English College Johore Bahru. After leaving school, he joined the Johor Military Forces as a cadet in 1940 and was sent a year later to the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, India. Upon completion of his training, he was absorbed into the Indian Army and served in the Middle East when the Second World War broke out. His vast experience prompted the British to employ him as an instructor at the Malayan Police Recruiting and Training Centre in Rawalpindi.

Hussein came back to Malaya in 1945 and was appointed Commandant of the Johor Bahru Police Depot. The following year, he joined the Malaya Civil Service as an assistant administrative officer in Segamat, Johor. He was later posted to the state of Selangor, becoming Klang and Kuala Selangor's district officer.

Entering politics
Hussein, who came from a family with a deep nationalistic spirit and political roots, resigned from the civil service to go into politics. In 1949, he became the first youth chief of UMNO, a party his father helped establish. In 1950, he was elected UMNO secretary general. Hussein, however, left UMNO in 1951 to join his father in forming the Independence of Malaya Party (IMP).

With IMP losing momentum, Hussein went to London to study law and was called to the Bar and admitted as a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, qualifying as a Barrister-at-Law. He came back as a certified lawyer and practised in Kuala Lumpur.

Rise to prominence
Hussein returned to politics by rejoining UMNO in 1968, persuaded to do so by then-Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Razak Hussein. He stood and won the general elections in 1969 and was appointed as the Education Minister. Hussein's meteoric rise continued on 13 August 1973, when he took over as Deputy Prime Minister, succeeding Ismail Abdul Rahman, who died in office due to a heart attack.

Prime Minister (1976-1981)
On 15 January 1976, Hussein, who was the Deputy Prime Minister, was appointed as Prime Minister after the death of his predecessor, Abdul Razak.

Hussein underwent a coronary bypass in early 1981. His deputy, Mahathir Mohamad become acting prime minister. On 17 July, the same year, Hussein retired from active politics and resigned from the office of prime minister due to health concerns. He was succeeded by Mahathir.

Death
Hussein died on 29 May 1990 of heart disease at Seton Medical Center in South San Francisco, California, at the age of 68. He was buried next to his predecessor, Abdul Razak, at Makam Pahlawan near Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur.

Controversy
Hussein Onn era took the easy way out by putting opposition leaders into detention without trial, banning public rallies and controlling all the media.

Honours of Malaysia

 * 🇲🇾 Malaysia :
 * MY Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara (Defender of the Realm) - SMN.svg Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (SMN) – Tun (1981)
 * Johor :
 * Sultan Ibrahim Coronation Medal ribbon.gif First Class of the Sultan Ibrahim Medal (PIS I)
 * Order of the Crown of Johor ribbon bar.svg Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor (SPMJ) – Dato' (1972)
 * Order of the Loyalty of Sultan Ismail (Johor) - ribbon bar.png Knight Grand Companion of the Order of Loyalty of Sultan Ismail of Johor (SSIJ) – Dato' (1975)
 * Most Esteemed Royal Family Order of Johor - ribbon bar.svg Grand Commander of the Royal Family Order of Johor (DK I) (1976)
 * Selangor :
 * MY-SEL Royal Family Order of Selangor - DK II.svg Second Class Member of the Royal Family Order of Selangor (DK II) (1977)
 * Terengganu :
 * MY-TER Family Order of Terengganu 1st class - DK I.svg Member First Class of the Family Order of Terengganu (DK I) (1977)
 * Kelantan :
 * MY-KEL Royal Family Order - Star of Yunus - DK.svg Recipient of the Royal Family Order of Kelantan (DK)
 * Perak :
 * MY-PERA Order of Cura Si Manja Kini (before 2001).svg Knight Grand Commander of the Order of Cura Si Manja Kini (SPCM) – Dato' Seri (1976)
 * Negeri Sembilan :
 * MY-NEG Order of Loyalty to Negeri Sembilan.svg Knight Grand Commander of the Order of Loyalty to Negeri Sembilan (SPNS) – Dato' Seri Utama (1980)
 * Pahang :
 * MY-PAH Order of the Crown of Pahang - Grand Knight - SIMP.svg Grand Knight of the Order of the Crown of Pahang (SIMP) – formerly Dato', now Dato' Indera (1975)
 * Sabah :
 * MY-SAB Order of Kinabalu - SPDK.svg Grand Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (SPDK) – Datuk Seri Panglima (1974)
 * Sarawak :
 * [[File:MY-SAR Order of the Star of the Hornbill (Bintang Kenyalang) - 1. Knight Grand Commander (DP).svg|50px]] Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (DP) – Datuk Patinggi
 * Penang :
 * MY-PEN Order of the Defender of State - Knight Grand Commander - DUPN.svg Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of State (DUPN) – Dato' Seri Utama (1977)

Places named after him
Several places were named after him, including:
 * Bandar Tun Hussein Onn, a township in Cheras, Hulu Langat, Selangor
 * Bandar Tun Hussein Onn MRT station
 * Desa Tun Hussein Onn, a Malaysian Armed Forces residential area near Setiawangsa, Kuala Lumpur
 * Tun Hussein Onn Jamek Mosque, a mosque in Larkin, Johor, Johor
 * Tun Hussein Onn University of Malaysia (UTHM) Batu Pahat, Johor
 * Institut Pendidikan Tun Hussein Onn (IPTHO) Batu Pahat, Johor
 * Kolej Tun Hussein Onn, a residential college at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor
 * Kolej Tun Hussein Onn, a residential college at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor
 * Kolej Tun Hussein Onn, a residential college at Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Kuala Perlis, Perlis
 * Kolej Tun Hussein Onn, a residential college at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Machang, Kelantan
 * SMK Tun Hussein Onn (SMKTHO), a secondary school in Kluang, Johor
 * SMK Tun Hussein Onn (SMKTHO), a secondary school in Seberang Jaya, Penang
 * SK Tun Hussein Onn (SKTHO), a primary school in Kampung Pandan, Kuala Lumpur
 * Tun Hussein Onn National Eye Hospital, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
 * Tun Hussein Onn Highway, part of the Penang Bridge, Penang
 * Jalan Tun Hussein Onn, a major road in Putrajaya
 * Jalan Tun Hussein Onn, a road in Seberang Jaya, Penang
 * Jalan Tun Hussein, a road in Felda Ayer Tawar, Kota Tinggi, Johor
 * Jalan Tun Hussein Onn, a road in Taman Tinggi, Sibu, Sarawak
 * Tun Hussein Onn Hockey Cup
 * Dewan Tun Hussein Onn, Putra World Trade Centre
 * Tun Hussein Onn Memorial, a memorial in Kuala Lumpur
 * SMK Desa Tun Hussein Onn (SMKDTHO), a secondary school in Desa Tun Hussein Onn, Kuala Lumpur
 * SK Desa Tun Hussein Onn (SKDTHO), a primary school in Desa Tun Hussein Onn, Kuala Lumpur
 * SK Desa Tun Hussein Onn (SKDTHO), a primary school in Desa Tun Hussein Onn, Kuala Lumpur