Mohammad Hamid Ansari (; born 1 April 1937) is an Indian politician and retired Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer who was the 12th vice president of India from 2007 to 2017. Ansari joined the IFS in 1961. In a diplomatic career spanning 38 years, he served as the Indian ambassador to Australia, Afghanistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. He also served as the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations between 1993 and 1995. He was appointed the Vice-Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University from 2000 to 2002. Later, he was Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities from 2006 to 2007. He was elected as the Vice-President of India on 10 August 2007 and took office on 11 August 2007. He was reelected on 7 August 2012 and was sworn-in by Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India. The oath taking ceremony was conducted at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 11 August 2012. His second term ended in August 2017 since he was not offered another term, he decided not to run for a third term in the 2017 vice-presidential election. His tenure is tied with S. Radhakrishnan, for the longest Vice Presidential tenure in Indian history. Personal life Ansari was born on 1 April 1937 at Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India (present-day Kolkata, in the state of West Bengal, India) to Mohammad Abdul Aziz Ansari and Aasiya Begum. Though his ancestral home is in the city of Ghazipur of the Uttar Pradesh state, he spent his formative years in Kolkata. He is the grand-nephew of former Indian National Congress president and freedom fighter Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari. He is also the second cousin to 3 Uttar Pradesh politicians, namely Afzal Ansari, Sibaghatullah Ansari and the mafia-turned politician Mukhtar Ansari. Ansari did his early education from St. Edward's School, Shimla. He pursued BA in Political science from St. Xavier's College, Calcutta, affiliated with the University of Calcutta, followed by a MA in Political science from the Aligarh Muslim University. He is married to Salma Ansari, fathering two sons and one daughter. Early career Diplomatic career Joining the Indian Foreign Service in 1961, Ansari subsequently served Indian missions in Baghdad, Rabat, Brussels and Jeddah. From 1976 to 1980, he served as the Indian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. Mohan Jashanmal, the Chairman of Indian Business and Professionals Group said that "Ansari was instrumental to get land for the Indian School from His Highness