John Guise (Governor-General)

Sir John Guise GCMG KBE (29 August 1914 – 7 February 1991) was the first Governor-General of Papua New Guinea, which gained independence from Australia in 1975. Dr. Guise was a Papua New Guinean and was a vocal supporter for independence.

He was born in Gedulalara village, near Dogura, Milne Bay District. His grandfather was Reginald Guise, an English adventurer who reached Papua in the 1880s, settled as a trader and married locally.

In 1958 Guise became the president of the Port Moresby Mixed Race Association. He served in the Department of Native Affairs during the 1950s, and served in the East Papua Legislative Council from 1961 to 1963. In 1964, he was elected to the House of Assembly, and went on to serve as interim Speaker of the House of Assembly of Papua and New Guinea from 1973 to 1975.

Guise served as Governor-General of Papua New Guinea for two years. He resigned as Governor-General to contest the 1977 election against Michael Somare, where he was defeated. He remained politically active and considered as a potential leader during the civil unrest after his term in office. Guise died on 7 February 1991. After his death, a sports stadium was named in his honour.

He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1972, made a Knight Commander of the order (KBE) on 6 June 1975, and appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) on 16 September 1975.

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