James Mancham
| James Mancham | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 1st President of Seychelles | |
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In office 29 June 1976 – 5 June 1977 |
|
| Prime Minister | France-Albert René |
| Preceded by | office established |
| Succeeded by | France-Albert René |
| 1st Prime Minister of Seychelles | |
|
In office 1 October 1975 – 28 June 1976 |
|
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | France-Albert René |
| Chief Minister of the Crown Colony of Seychelles | |
|
In office 12 November 1970 – 1 October 1975 |
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| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
11 August 1939 Victoria, Seychelles |
| Died | 8 January 2017 (aged 77) Glacis, Seychelles |
| Political party | Seychelles Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) |
Heather Jean Evans (1963-1974) Catherine Olsen (1985-to death of James Mancham 2017) |
| Profession | Lawyer Politician Writer |
Heather Jean Evans (1963-1974)
Sir James Richard Marie Mancham KBE (11 August 1939 – 8 January 2017) was a Seychellois politician who founded the Seychelles Democratic Party and was the first President of Seychelles from 1976 to 1977.
James' father, Richard Mancham, a successful businessman, sent James to law school in England. When Britain announced its intention to give independence to the colony, Mancham founded the Democratic Party (S.D.P.), and served as its leader until February 2005.France-Albert René founded an opposition party, the Seychelles People's United Party (S.P.U.P) with the support of the Soviet Union. As Chief Minister of the colony, Mancham promoted tourism to the Seychelles and arranged for the building of the airport that was to make the Seychelles accessible to the rest of the world. Tourism increased and the economy developed. In 1976, Mancham won the popular vote when the British gave the Seychelles independence. Less than a year later, in June 1977, he was deposed in a coup by Prime Minister France-Albert René, who had the support of Tanzanian-trained revolutionaries and Tanzanian-supplied weapons, whilst Mancham was attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference in London.
Mancham lived in exile in London until April 1992. During this period, Mancham was financially successful in several international business ventures and married Catherine Olsen, an Australian journalist working in London. When he returned to the Seychelles following the lifting of the ban on opposition, he resumed the promotion of tourism to the tropical islands.
He ran for president in July 1993 and finished second behind René with 36.72% of the vote. In March 1998 he ran again, receiving third place and 13.8% of the vote, behind René and Wavel Ramkalawan.
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