Born at Kuala Keboi, Kampar, 10 May 1876, he was the third son of Sultan Idris Murshidul Azzam Shah and his wife Cik Ngah Manah binti Manda Duwayat, herself a member of the Royal House of Perak.
He was made raja bendahara in 1918 during the reign of his elder half-brother, Sultan Abdul Jalil Nasiruddin Muhtaram Shah.
Sultan Iskandar was a major advocate of decentralizing the Federated Malay States and even visited the Colonial Office in August 1924 to espouse his views.
Sulotan Iskandar died at the Istana Iskandariah on 14 August 1938 after a short illness.
He was interred at the Al-Ghufran Royal Mausoleum at Bukit Chandan with the posthumous title Marhum Kaddasullah.