Kukrit Pramoj
Prime Minister of Thailand from 1975 - 1976
(Born 20th April 1911 - died 9th October 1995)

Kukrit Pramoj was the son of Thailand’s Prince Khamrob and Mom Daeng, and younger brother to Seni Pramoj.

Continuing with family tradition, he spent his formative school years at Trent College before reading Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Queen’s College, Cambridge, where he passed with Honours in 1933.

Kukrit certainly led a diverse and interesting life. He began his career as a Civil Servant and later worked as Manager of the Siam Commercial Bank in the Lampang Province. With the outbreak of World War II, Kukrit Pramoj was appointed Lance Corporal in the army and fought in the East Asia War. It was during this time that he became actively interested in Thai politics. Kukrit is credited as initiating the foundation of ‘Progress Party’, Thailand’s first political party, in 1945-46. He later joined the Democrat Party.

When the Bank of Thailand was established, Kukrit was appointed Chief of Division, Office of Governor and Chief of the Bank Issue Department. He later became President of the Bangkok Commercial Bank and, in 1948, rose to the position of Deputy Minister of Finance and Deputy Minister of Commerce.

Kukrit Pramoj was a man of many talents. He became an accomplished master of Thai Classical Dancing, as well as an outspoken critic, journalist and writer. In fact, he wrote more than twenty books, many of which have become modern classics and include titles such as ‘Four Reigns’, ‘Red Bamboo’ and ‘Many Lives’.

In a role that would foreshadow his later career, Kukrit also made his mark on Hollywood in the 1963 film, ‘The Ugly American’, as the prime minister of a fictional Asian country; he starred opposite Marlon Brando.

In 1975, Kukrit Pramoj formed the Social Action Party and was its first leader. That March, he contested the results of the general election and won the Bangkok Constituency; he formally became Prime Minister on 14th March 1975.

Kukrit formed a coalition government with the support of other Parties but his time as Prime Minister was short-lived as, at the general election in April 1976, Kukrit Pramoj failed to be re-elected as Prime Minister.

Kukrit Pramoj continued to work as a journalist, writer and critic. He died in 1995 at the age of 84.

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