Tunku Abdul Rahman was the first prime minister of Malaysia, in office from 1957 to 1970. Before becoming the prime minister, he served as the first chief minister of the Federation of Malaya. One of the many children of Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, Tunku had a privileged upbringing. He studied at Cambridge University but wasn’t able to meet his family’s expectations of becoming a lawyer for several years. He began his career as a civil servant and succeeded to the throne of Negri Sembilan following the death of his father. He rose in political prominence in the ensuing years and became the chief minister of the Federation of Malaya. He played a key role in Malaysia’s independence process and was appointed the first prime minister of the newly-independent country. He dominated Malaysian politics for the next decade despite facing many political challenges. His performance during the race riots in Kuala Lumpur in 1969 was criticized and he was forced to resign. He is widely regarded as Malaysia's "founding father" and is hailed for his pivotal leadership role in the formation of Malaysia. He was married thrice and had seven children. Besides politics, he was an avid sportsman who supported many sporting events.