Wahidin Soedirohoesodo

Wahidin Soedirohoesodo (1852–1917) (in modern EYD spelling Wahidin Sudirohusodo) was a medical doctor and education reformer in the Dutch East Indies who co-founded the Javanese self-improvement society Budi Utomo. Therefore, he is sometimes considered an early figure in the Indonesian National Awakening. In 1973 he was declared a National Hero of Indonesia.

Biography Wahidin was born on 7 January 1852, in Sleman, Yogyakarta, in the Dutch East Indies.

In his youth, he studied in the Tweede Europeesche Lagere School in Yogyakarta before studying at the STOVIA school in Batavia and becoming a medical doctor. This fit with the Dutch policy of the time, called Ethical Policy, which aimed to selectively improve education for elite Indonesians. In 1907, while touring to raise funds for the aforementioned educational goals, he visited the students in STOVIA in Batavia, where he met Soetomo, who was a young student there at the time. This encounter was to lead to the foundation of Budi Utomo in May 1908. In the first congress of Budi Utomo, Wahidin was elected as president of the organization after Raden Atmodirono stood aside from the final vote. However, before long he stood aside to allow younger leaders to take charge of the organization.

He died on 26 May 1917, in Yogyakarta.

On 14 January 2022, a hospital ship bearing his name, KRI dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo, entered service with the Indonesian Navy.