Cheddi Jagan
| Cheddi Berret 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 |
22 March 1918 Port Mourant, East Berbice-Corentyne, British Guiana |
| Died | 6 March 1997 (aged 78) Washington, D.C., United States |
| Political party | People's Progressive Party |
| Spouse(s) | Janet Rosenberg (1943-1997; his death); 2 children |
| Alma mater |
Howard University Northwestern University |
| Religion | Sanātanī Hinduism |
| Signature |  |
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".
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 Basti, Uttar Pradesh, British India, in 1901. His family grew up in rural poverty and worked in the cane fields to support themselves. 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, coming as he did from a poor background. After he graduated from high school, finding a job was almost impossible. Finally his father decided to send him to the United States to study dentistry.
Jagan left for the United States in September 1936 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.
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