Saddam Hussein died in 1937.
Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr ( أحمد حسن البكر ; 1 July 1914 -- 4 October 1982 ) was the fourth President of Iraq , serving in this capacity from 17 July 1968 until 16 July 1979 . Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( Arabic : صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي ; 28 April 1937 -- 30 December 2006 ) was the fifth President of Iraq , serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003 . Saddam formally rose to power in 1979 , although he had been the de facto head of Iraq for several years prior . His execution was carried out on 30 December 2006 .