R. K. Shanmukham Chetty

Sir Ramasamy Chettiar Kandasamy Shanmukham Chettiar KCIE (17 October 1892 – 5 May 1953) was an Indian lawyer, economist and statesman who served as first Finance Minister of India from 1947 to 1948. He also served as President of India's Central Legislative Assembly from 1933 to 1935 and Diwan of Cochin kingdom from 1935 to 1941.

Shanmukham Chettiar was born in Coimbatore in 1892 and studied at Madras Christian College and Madras Law College. On completion of his education, Shanmukham Chettiar joined politics and served both in the Indian nationalist Swaraj Party as well as the Justice Party. Shanmukham Chettiar was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly of India and served as its Deputy President from 1931 to 1935. After losing the 1935 elections, Chettiar returned to South India where he served as Diwan of Cochin kingdom from 1935 to 1941. On India's independence in 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India controversially chose Chettiar as his Finance Minister despite the latter's well known pro-British leanings. Shanmukham Chettiar died on 5 May 1953.

During his public life, Chettiar also identified with a number of social causes. He was a strong supporter of the Tamil Isai Movement. Shanmukham Chettiar was the Finance Minister of India when the country's first budget was tabled in Parliament on 26 November 1947.