Franjo Tuđman was the first President of Croatia, serving from 1990 until his death in 1999.
Franjo Tuđman was a Croatian politician and historian who played a key role in the country's journey to independence from Yugoslavia. He was the founder and leader of the Croatian Democratic Union, which won the first multi-party elections in Croatia in 1990. As President, Tuđman oversaw Croatia's transition to a democratic, independent state, but also faced criticism for his nationalist policies and his handling of the war with Serbia in the early 1990s. After his death in 1999, he was succeeded as President by Stjepan Mesić.