Sukich Nimmanheminda ( th, สุกิจ นิมมานเหมินท์, 25 November 1906 – 2 February 1976) was a Thai scholar, educator, politician and diplomat. He was a professor at

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU, th, จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย, ), nicknamed Chula ( th, จุฬาฯ), is a public and autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally fo ...

and served as its secretary-general. He also served multiple terms as member of parliament for Chiang Mai, and held the posts of Minister of Industry, of Economics and of Education as well as two terms as deputy Prime minister of Thailand.

Life and career

Born and raised in Chiang Mai, Sukich attended Assumption College in Bangkok before he continued his education in England. He completed bachelor and master of science degrees from the University of London as well as a civil engineering diploma from Battersea Polytechnic Institute. Upon his return to Thailand, he became a lecturer of mathematics and hydraulics at

in 1933. He was appointed secretary-general of the university in 1938 and acting dean of the Faculty of Arts in Sciences in 1940. Two years later he became both member of the executive council of Chulalongkorn University and director-general of the department of vocational education of the Thai ministry of education. Sukich was elected member of parliament for Chiang Mai for three terms (1948–1958), and held the post of Minister of Industry in Plaek Phibunsongkhram's cabinet from 1949 to 1952. He chaired the

Sahaphum Party The Sahaphum Party ( th, พรรคสหภูมิ, sometimes translated as "United Land" or "Unionist Party") was a political party in Thailand. It was founded on 21 June 1957 by Sukich Nimmanheminda. Behind the scenes, the party was forme ...

("United Land") founded in June 1957 to support Field Marshal

Sarit Thanarat Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat (also spelt ''Dhanarajata''; th, สฤษดิ์ ธนะรัชต์, ; 16 June 1908 – 8 December 1963) was a Thai general who staged a coup in 1957, replacing Plaek Phibunsongkhram as Thailand's prime m ...

's accession to power. After Sarit's coup d'état in September 1957, Sukich served as minister of Economics and from January to October 1958 additionally as deputy prime minister in the government of

Thanom Kittikachorn Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn ( th, ถนอม กิตติขจร, ; 11 August 1911 – 16 June 2004) was the leader of Thailand from 1963 to 1973, during which he staged a self-coup, until public protests which exploded into viol ...

. He later served as Thailand's Ambassador to India (1959–1963), also accredited in Afghanistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. From October to December 1963 he represented Thailand as ambassador to the United States. Sukich was the first Secretary-General of the

Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization The Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) is an intergovernmental organization of the eleven Southeast Asian countries, which was formed on 30 November 1965 by the Kingdom of Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thaila ...

from 1968 to 1969. Subsequently he served as minister of Education, again under Thanom, from 1969 to 1972. After the end of military dictatorship in the course of the

14 October 1973 uprising The popular uprising of 14 October 1973 ( th, เหตุการณ์ 14 ตุลา, , ; also , , ) was a watershed event in Thailand's history. The uprising resulted in the end of the ruling military dictatorship of anti-communist Thanom ...

, Sukich was again deputy prime minister under

Sanya Dharmasakti Sanya Dharmasakti ( th, สัญญา ธรรมศักดิ์, , ; 5 April 1907 – 6 January 2002) was a Thai jurist, university professor and politician. He served as the 12th Prime Minister of Thailand from 1973 to 1975. Sanya Dhar ...

, serving until May 1974. In addition to his scientific expertise, he was also knowledgeable in history and literature. He collected rare books and birds. Sukich was a Fellow of the Royal Society in two subject areas, history and physical sciences, and also served as its president from 1975 to 1976.

References

Sukich Nimmanheminda Sukich Nimmanheminda Sukich Nimmanheminda Sukich Nimmanheminda Sukich Nimmanheminda Sukich Nimmanheminda Sukich Nimmanheminda Sukich Nimmanheminda Sukich Nimmanheminda Sukich Nimmanheminda Sukich Nimmanheminda Sukich Nimmanheminda Sukich Nimmanheminda Sukich Nimmanheminda Sukich Nimmanheminda 1906 births 1976 deaths {{Thailand-bio-stub