Nursultan A. Nazarbayev was born on July 6, 1940, in the village of Chemolgan in the Alma-Ata Region's Kaskelen District.
Nazarbayev graduated from the Higher Technical College at the Karaganda Iron & Steel Works and the Higher Party School of the Soviet Communist Party's Central Committee (by correspondence). Ph.D (Economics).
In 1960, Nazarbayev began his career as an unskilled worker at the Domenstroi construction administration of the Kazmetallurgstroi trust in Temirtau in the Karaganda Region. He went on to work as Secretary of the Karaganda Iron & Steel Works' Communist Party Committee and as Second Secretary of the Kazakh Communist Party's Karaganda Regional Party Committee.
In 1979-1984, Nazarbayev was Secretary of the Kazakh Communist Party's Central Committee. In 1984, he was appointed Chairman of the Republican Council of Ministers (Government), and in July 1989, he was elected First Secretary of the Kazakh Communist Party's Central Committee.
Nazarbayev was a Member of the Politburo of the Soviet Communist Party's Central Committee, serving as People's Deputy of the USSR and the Kazakh SSR. In February 1990, he was appointed Chairman of the Supreme Soviet (Parliament) of the Kazakh SSR. In April 1990, Nazarbayev became President of the Kazakh SSR.
In December 1991, Nazarbayev was elected President of the Republic of Kazakhstan during general presidential elections, with no other candidates. In April 1995, a nationwide referendum extended his tenure of office until 2000. In January 2000, he was reelected President of the Republic of Kazakhstan for another seven years during early presidential elections involving other candidates.
On December 4, 2005, Nazarbayev was reelected President of the Republic of Kazakhstan during regular presidential elections and inaugurated on January 11, 2006.
Since July 2007, he has chaired the Nur-Otan People's Democratic Party.
Nazarbayev is married with three daughters.