Penaia Ganilau
|
Sir Penaia Ganilau GCMG KCVO KBE DSO ED |
|
|---|---|
| 1st President of Fiji | |
|
In office 8 December 1987 – 15 December 1993 |
|
| Preceded by |
Elizabeth II as Queen of Fiji |
| Succeeded by | Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara |
| 3rd Governor-General of Fiji | |
|
In office 12 February 1983 – 15 October 1987 |
|
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | George Cakobau |
| Succeeded by | None (office abolished) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 July 1918 Taveuni, Fiji |
| Died | 15 December 1993 (aged 75) Washington, D.C., United States |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children |
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| Occupation | soldier, scholar |
Ratu Sir Penaia Kanatabatu Ganilau GCMG KCVO KBE DSO ED (28 July 1918 – 15 December 1993) was the first President of Fiji, serving from 8 December 1987 until his death in 1993. He had previously served as Governor-General of Fiji, representing Elizabeth II, Queen of Fiji, from 12 February 1983 to 15 October 1987.
Ganilau was educated at Northern Provincial School, Queen Victoria School and Wadham College, Oxford University, whence he graduated from the Devonshire Course for administration officers in 1946. Returning to Fiji, he joined the Colonial Administration Service the following year, and served as a District Officer from 1948 to 1953. The following three years were spent in the Fiji Military Forces, from which he was discharged in 1956 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He became the Roko Tui Cakaudrove in 1956, his first administrative position. He subsequently returned to the civil service and became Deputy Secretary for Fijian Affairs in 1961.
In 1963, in the first elections in which ethnic Fijians voted directly, Ganilau was elected to the Legislative Council, the precursor to the modern Fijian Parliament. When responsible government was instituted in 1967, he was appointed Minister for Fijian Affairs and Local Government, serving until 1970. He subsequently served as Minister for Home Affairs, Lands and Mineral Resources from 1970 to 1972, when he became Minister for Communications, Works and Tourism. In 1973, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister, a position he was to hold for the next decade; during this time, he also served as Minister for Home Affairs (1975–1983) and as Minister for Fijian Affairs and Rural Development (1977–1983). In 1983 he became Governor-General.
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