John DeJongh
| John de Jongh | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 28th Governor of the United States Virgin Islands | |
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In office January 1, 2007 – January 5, 2015 |
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| Lieutenant | Gregory Francis |
| Preceded by | Charles Turnbull |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth Mapp |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Percy de Jongh, Jr. November 13, 1957 St Thomas, Virgin Islands, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Cecile René Galiber |
| Alma mater | Antioch College |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
John Percy de Jongh, Jr. (born November 13, 1957) is an American politician who was the 28th Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
De Jongh previously served as Commissioner of Finance after being appointed in 1987. He left public office in 1992 and became successful in business. He unsuccessfully ran for governor in the 2002 general election as an independent candidate, placing second with 24.4% of the vote. In the 2006 general election, never having served elective office, he defeated former Lieutenant Governor Kenneth Mapp in a runoff and became governor. In 2010, he won re-election to a second term.
As governor, he had the support of many in the business community, due to his background as a businessman and Commissioner of Finance.
Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. was born in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. As a child he attended Sts. Peter and Paul School on St. Thomas. After his parents' divorce, he lived with his mother in Detroit, Michigan while his mother did social work for the Detroit Public Schools. During the summer, de Jongh would return to St. Thomas to assist in his father's law firm. He earned an economics degree from Antioch College in Ohio.
De Jongh is a product of Catholic schooling, attending such institutions both on the island and in the United States. During college, he was able to study abroad, and completed an urban study in Yugoslavia and The Netherlands. After graduating from college, de Jongh returned to his ancestral Virgin Islands. He worked for several years as a member of the Economic Development Council, during which he helped receive funding for the preservation of historic Virgin Island buildings, before taking a job with Chase Manhattan. de Jongh first worked as an executive in the company's San Juan, Puerto Rico office before once again returning to the Virgin Islands after earning the position of Consumer Manager of Operations in both the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. Under his leadership, Chase placed more emphasis on personal over corporate banking in the Caribbean and increased home mortgage lending.
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