Bhumibol Adulyadej (5 December 1927-13 October 2016) was King of Thailand from 9 June 1946 to 13 October 2016, succeeding Ananda Mahidol and preceding Maha Vajiralongkorn. He was the world's longest-serving head of state, reigning for 70 years.
Biography[]
Bhumibol Adulyadej was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where his father Prince Mahidol of Songkhla studied medicine. He succeeded his brother Ananda Mahidol to the throne of Thailand in 1946, and he was crowned in 1950 upon finishing his studies in Switzerland. Following the abolition of the absolute monarchy in the 1932 revolution, the King retained a largely ceremonial role as head of state and commander-in-chief, but the long experience of Bhumibol in office enabled him to become an integrative national symbol. He also served as a moderate force in the country's stormy political history, which was characterized by varying degrees of military rule. Adulyadej died in 2016 at the age of 88, and he wa succeeded by the less-popular Maha Vajiralongkorn.