Cheddi Jagan

Cheddi B. Jagan
Jagan in 1962
4th President of Guyana
In office
9 October 1992 – 6 March 1997
Prime Minister (also First Vice President)Sam Hinds
Preceded byDesmond Hoyte
Succeeded bySam Hinds
1st Premier of British Guiana
In office
5 September 1961 – 12 December 1964
MonarchElizabeth II
GovernorRalph Grey
Richard Luyt
Preceded byInaugural holder
Succeeded byForbes Burnham
Additional ministry
In office
5 September 1961 – 12 December 1964
Minister ofPlanning and Development
Preceded byInaugural holder
Succeeded byForbes Burnham
1st Chief Minister of British Guiana
In office
30 May 1953 – 9 October 1953
MonarchElizabeth II
GovernorAlfred Savage
Preceded byInaugural holder
Succeeded byInterim government
Additional ministry
In office
30 May 1953 – December 1953
Minister ofAgriculture, Forests, Lands and Mines
Preceded byJohn Sydney Dash
Succeeded byFrank McDavid
Minister of Trade and Industry of British Guiana
In office
1957–1961
MonarchElizabeth II
GovernorPatrick Muir Renison
Ralph Grey
Leader of the Opposition of Guyana
In office
1966–1973
Succeeded byMarcellus Fielden Singh
In office
1976–1992
Preceded byMarcellus Fielden Singh
Succeeded byDesmond Hoyte
General Secretary of the People's Progressive Party
In office
1970[1] – 6 March 1997
President of the Guyana Rice Producers Association
In office
1952–1953
Personal details
Born
Cheddi Berret Jagan

(1918-03-22)22 March 1918
Ankerville, Port Mourant, Berbice, British Guiana (present-day East Berbice-Corentyne, Guyana)
Died6 March 1997(1997-03-06) (aged 78)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyPeople's Progressive Party (after 1950)
Other political
affiliations
Manpower Citizens' Association (1945–1946)
Political Affairs Committee (1946–1950)
Spouse
(m. 1943)
ChildrenCheddi "Joey" Jagan Jr.
Nadira Jagan-Brancier
RelativesDerek Chunilall Jagan (brother)
EducationQueen's College, Georgetown
Howard University
Alma materCentral YMCA College (BS)
Northwestern University (DDS)
OccupationDentist and Politician
Awards
Signature

Cheddi Berret Jagan (22 March 1918 – 6 March 1997) was a Guyanese politician and dentist who was first elected Chief Minister in 1953 and later Premier of British Guiana from 1961 to 1964. He later served as President of Guyana from 1992 to his death in 1997.[2] In 1953, he became the first Hindu and person of Indian descent to be a head of government outside of the Indian subcontinent.

Jagan founded the People's Progressive Party along with his wife Janet and Forbes Burnham, and served as the first leader of the party. Jagan was a leading figure in the campaign for the independence of Guyana from the United Kingdom, and advocated for increased powers for trade unions at a time when British Guiana's economy was dominated by powerful foreign enterprises. Jagan lost his position as Prime Minister to Forbes Burnham following the 1964 British Guiana general election, and Burnham would become Guyana's first Head of Government following independence. 28 years later, Jagan was elected president in the 1992 Guyanese general election, which was regarded as the first "free and fair" election since 1964.[3]

  1. ^ "Jagan–a name intrinsically woven into Guyanese history - Guyana Chronicle". 5 March 2010.
  2. ^ Larry Rohter, "Cheddi Jagan, Guyana's Founder, Dies at 78", The New York Times, 7 March 1997.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference N1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).