Cheddi Jagan

Cheddi Jagan
4th President of Guyana
In office 9 October 1992 – 6 March 1997
Prime Minister	Sam Hinds
Preceded by	Desmond Hoyte
Succeeded by	Sam Hinds
Personal details
Born	Cheddi Berret Jagan (1918-03-22)22 March 1918 Port Mourant, Guyana
Died	6 March 1997(1997-03-06) (aged 78) Washington, D.C., United States
Resting place	200px
Political party	People's Progressive Party
Spouse(s)	Janet Rosenberg (1943-1997; his death); 2 children
Parent	200px
Alma mater	Howard University
Signature

Cheddi Jagan meeting with Levi Eshkol during a visit to Israel in 1961

Cheddi Berret Jagan (22 March 1918 – 6 March 1997) was a Guyanese politician who was first elected Chief Minister in 1953 and later Premier of British Guiana from 1961 to 1964, prior to independence. He later served as President of Guyana from 1992 to 1997. He is widely regarded in Guyana as the "Father of the Nation".

Early life

Cheddi Berret Jagan was born on 22 March 1918 in Port Mourant, a rural village in the county of Berbice (now part of modern-day Guyana), the eldest of 11 children born to parents who came from India to British Guiana as indentured labourers. His mother Bachaoni, and his father Jagan, along with two grandmothers and an uncle, were brought from Uttar Pradesh, India, in 1901. His family grew up in rural poverty and had to work in the canefields to support the family. By the age of 15, Jagan's father wanted to make sure his son attended school and sent him to Queen's College in the capital city of Georgetown, about 100 miles away, for the next three years. In Georgetown Jagan saw life differently as coming from a poor background. After he graduated from high school, finding a job almost became impossible. Finally his father decided to send him to the United States to study dentistry at Howard University in Washington, D.C..

Stay in the USA

Jagan left for the United States in September 1935 with two friends and did not return to British Guiana until October 1943. He lived in Washington D.C. for two years and attended Howard University, taking a pre-dental course, worked two summers in New York, and spent the last five years in Chicago at Northwestern University. At school, he was a dedicated student and his hard work earned him a free tuition scholarship for his second year at Howard and in 1938 entry into Northwestern for a four-year dental program.

Political career

He was elected to the colonial legislative body, the Legislative Council, in November 1947 as an independent candidate from Central Demerara constituency. On 1 January 1950, the People's Progressive Party (PPP) was founded, with Jagan as its Leader, Forbes Burnham as its Chairman and Jagan's wife the former Janet Rosenberg as Secretary.

Jagan won in a colonially administered election in 1953, but was removed from power militarily by Britain. Churchill was convinced Jagan was a crypto-communist and would allow the Soviet Union a foothold in Latin America. There was strong behind-the-scenes pressure from the United States and the CIA, asserted that he had ties to the Soviet Union. Jagan resigned as British Guiana prime minister after 133 days. However the U.S. did not participate directly in his removal. Britain suspended the constitution and chose an interim government. Jagan's movements were restricted to Georgetown from 1954 to 1957. After a PPP victory in the August 1961 election, Jagan became Chief Minister for a second time, serving for three years. In the December 1964 election, the PPP won a plurality of votes, but Burnham's party, the People's National Congress, and the conservative United Force were nevertheless invited to form the government.

Having broken off links with Burnham, Jagan was active in the government as a labor activist and leader of the opposition. After 28 years in opposition, he and the PPP won the 5 October 1992 election with about 54% of the vote, and Jagan became President.

Jagan suffered a heart attack on 15 February 1997 and was taken to Georgetown Hospital before being flown by U.S. military aircraft to Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C., later that day. He underwent heart surgery there and died in Washington on 6 March 1997. Prime Minister Sam Hinds succeeded him as President and declared six days of mourning, describing Jagan as the "greatest son and patriot that has ever walked this land".

Family

He married Janet (née Rosenberg) in 1943, and the couple had two children, Nadira and Cheddi Jr. (who in turn produced five grandchildren).

Janet Jagan followed her husband's footsteps and held the positions of prime minister and president in 1997 (succeeded as president by Bharrat Jagdeo in 1999).

Legacy

The Cheddi Jagan Research Centre in Georgetown celebrates his life and work, complete with a replication of his office.

Cheddi Jagan Presidential Standard

Selected publications

Jagan was also an important political author and speechwriter, and his publications include:

• Forbidden Freedom: The Story of British Guiana (Hansib, 1954)
• The West On Trial: My Fight for Guyana's Freedom (Harpy, 1966)
• The Caribbean Revolution (1979)
• The Caribbean Whose Backyard (1984)
• Selected Speeches 1992-1994 (Hansib, 1995)
• The USA in South America (Hansib, 1998)
• A New Global Human Order (Harpy, 1999)
• Selected Correspondences 1953-1965 (Dido Press, 2004)

See also

• Cheddi Jagan Bio Diversity Park
• Cheddi Jagan International Airport
• List of Asian politicians in non-Asian states

External links

• Cheddi Jagan Research Centre, an informational site maintained by Jagan's daughter, Nadira Jagan-Brancier.
• Cheddi Jagan Timeline Posted at Center for Cooperative Research
• "An Appreciation of Dr. Cheddi Jagan". Indo Caribbean World, 12 March 1997.