In office 2 November 1955 – 21 June 1963 President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi Zalman Shazar Preceded by Moshe Sharett Succeeded by Levi Eshkol In office 17 May 1948 – 7 December 1954 President Chaim Weizmann Yitzhak Ben-Zvi Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Moshe Sharett 1st Chairman of the Provisional State Council of Israel In office 14 May 1948 – 16 May 1948 Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Chaim Weizmann Born 16 October 1886(1886-10-16) Płońsk, Russian Empire Died 1 December 1973(1973-12-01) (aged 87) Israel Political party Mapai, Rafi, National List Religion Judaism Signature David Ben-Gurion (help·info) (Hebrew: דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן‎, born David Grün on 16 October 1886, died 1 December 1973) was the first Prime Minister of Israel and a Zionist leader. Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, culminated in his instrumental role in the founding of the state of Israel. After leading Israel to victory in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Ben-Gurion helped build the state institutions and oversaw the absorption of vast numbers of Jews from all over the world. Upon retiring from political life in 1970, he moved to Sde Boker, a kibbutz in the Negev desert, where he lived until his death. Posthumously, Ben-Gurion was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century..