Teuku Muhammad Hasan

Teuku Muhammad Hasan was a prominent politician and national hero from Aceh, who served as the first and only governor of Sumatra from 1945 until 1948. He also served as a cabinet minister in Sjafruddin Prawiranegara's emergency cabinet and was a member of both the Senate of the United States of Indonesia (USI) and the Provisional People's Representative Council (DPRS) of the Republic of Indonesia. Born to an aristocratic family in present-day Aceh, Teuku Muhammad Hasan studied law at Leiden University. During his time there, he joined the Perhimpoenan Indonesia association, becoming involved in the Indonesian independence movement. After graduating in 1933, he returned to Aceh, and became active in the Islamic organization Muhammadiyah. During the Japanese occupation, he was a member of the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence. Following the proclamation of independence, he was appointed governor of Sumatra by the Central Indonesian National Committee. After the fall of the Indonesian government in Yogyakarta, he took part in the emergency government (PDRI) headed by Sjafruddin Prawiranegara. In the PDRI, he filled the position of minister in the ministries of Home Affairs, Religious Affairs, and Education. Following the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference and the end of national revolution, Teuku Muhammad Hasan served as a senator in the USI. He also became a member of the DPRS, where he advocated for the rights of the Acehnese people. He died in 1997 in Jakarta, and was buried in the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery. He is remembered as one of the founding fathers of Indonesia and a hero of the Acehnese struggle.