John de Jongh
| John Percy de Jongh Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 7th Governor of the United States Virgin Islands | |
|
In office January 1, 2007 – January 5, 2015 |
|
| Lieutenant | Gregory Francis |
| Preceded by | Charles W. Turnbull |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth Mapp |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Percy de Jongh, Jr. November 13, 1957 Brooklyn, New York |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Cecile René Galiber |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Antioch College |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
John Percy de Jongh, Jr. (born November 13, 1957) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 7th elected Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands. He has been active in Virgin Islands politics and the business community since returning to St. Thomas after graduating from college in 1981. De Jongh has been involved in community development, commercial banking, served on the boards of business and philanthropic organizations, appointed to government positions and elected to public office.
De Jongh ran for governor in the 2002 general election as an independent candidate, placing second with 24.4% of the vote and losing to the incumbent, Charles W. Turnbull. In the 2006 general election de Jongh ran as the Democratic Party candidate and defeated former Lieutenant Governor Kenneth Mapp in a runoff and became governor. In 2010, he was re-elected to a second term and served until January 5, 2015, when he was term limited.
De Jongh was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised on St. Thomas. As a child he attended Sts. Peter and Paul School on St. Thomas. After his parents' divorce, he lived with his mother, Dolores, and two brothers, Stanley and Sydney, in Detroit, Michigan where his mother was a social worker for the Detroit Public Schools. During the summer, de Jongh would return to St. Thomas to assist in his father's law firm. De Jongh, graduated from Detroit Catholic Central High School in 1976. After his graduation he attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. During his college career he held work-study jobs in Detroit, Houston, Philadelphia and St. Thomas and completed an urban study program that involved travel to the United Kingdom, Yugoslavia and The Netherlands. He earned an economics degree from Antioch College in Ohio. De Jongh graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Antioch College in 1981.
After graduating from college, de Jongh returned to the Virgin Islands. He worked for several years with the Tri-Island Economic Development Council, during which he helped receive funding for the preservation of historic Virgin Island buildings, before taking a job with Chase Manhattan Bank. De Jongh first worked as an executive in the company's Puerto Rico office before returning to the Virgin Islands after earning the position of Consumer Manager of Operations in the U.S., British Virgin Islands and Saint Maarten. Under his leadership, Chase placed more emphasis on personal over corporate banking in the Caribbean and increased home mortgage lending.
...
Wikipedia