Cheddi Jagan - Biography

Biography

The son of ethnic Indian sugar plantation workers, Jagan managed to attend Queen's College in Georgetown. He later studied at the Howard University Dental School in Washington, D.C., and Northwestern University in Chicago before returning home in the early 1940s.

He was elected to the colonial legislative body, the Legislative Council, in November 1947 as an independent candidate from Central Demerara constituency. On January 1, 1950, the People's Progressive Party (PPP) was founded, with Jagan as its Leader, Forbes Burnham as its Chairman and Jagan's wife Janet as its Secretary.

Jagan won in a colonially administered election in 1953, but was removed from power militarily by Britain. Churchill was convinced Jagan was a crypto-communist and would allow the Soviet Union a foothold in Latin America. There was strong behind-the-scenes pressure from the United States and the CIA, asserted that he had ties to the Soviet Union. Jagan resigned as British Guiana prime minister after 133 days. However the USA did not participate directly in Jagan's removal, which was solely a British operation. Britain suspended the constitution and chose an interim government. Jagan's movements were restricted to Georgetown from 1954 to 1957.

After a PPP victory in the August 1961 election, Jagan became Chief Minister for a second time, serving for three years. In the December 1964 election, the PPP won a plurality of votes, but Burnham's party, the People's National Congress, and the conservative United Force were nevertheless invited to form the government.

Having broken off links with Burnham, Jagan was active in the government as a labor activist and leader of the opposition. After 28 years in opposition, he and the PPP won the October 5, 1992 election with about 54% of the vote, and Jagan became President.

Jagan suffered a heart attack in the morning of February 15, 1997 and was taken to Georgetown Hospital before being flown by U.S. military aircraft to Walter Reed Army Hospital in the U.S. capital, Washington, DC, later that day. He underwent heart surgery there and died in Washington on March 6, 1997. Prime Minister Sam Hinds succeeded him as President and declared six days of mourning, describing Jagan as the "greatest son and patriot that has ever walked this land". Jagan has his family residing in Guyana as well in parts of New York, NY and Miami, FL. His grand daughter Avasa Jagan studying at a prominent school in New York City is an aspiring dentist and well on her way to becoming one.

His presidential tenure was characterized by the revival of the union movement and a re-commitment to education and infrastructure improvement. Towards the end of his life, he began moving his country to greater economic deregulation.

He married Janet (née Rosenberg), an alleged former member of a communist youth organization, in 1943, and the couple had two children, Nadira and Cheddi Jr. (who in turn produced five grandchildren, Cheddi B. Jagan II, Vrinda Jagan, Avasa Jagan, Alex Brancier, and Natasha Brancier). Mrs. Jagan followed her husband's footsteps and held the positions of prime minister and president in 1997 (succeeded as president by Bharrat Jagdeo in 1999). The Cheddi Jagan Research Centre in the capital, Georgetown, celebrates Cheddi Jagan's life and work, complete with a replication of his office.