Cheddi Jagan Biography

Cheddi Jagan was a former president of Guyana, who played a key role in Guyana’s struggle for independence. For his contribution to Guyana, he is regarded as the “Father of the Nation”. He was born on a sugar plantation as the son of the plantation foreman; his parents were of Indian decent. As an adult, he studied dentistry in the United States at Northwestern University in Chicago. During this time, he also became interested in political science and studied it. He then returned to Guyana with his American wife Janet, where he practiced as a dentist before becoming a politician. He began his political career with workers unions, later becoming Prime Minister of British Guyana on two separate occasions. His radical socialist views were often opposed during his early political career. He and his wife, who was also an influential political figure in Guyana, founded the largest political movement in Guyana’s history, as well as the country’s first modern political party, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). They continued to be important political figures in the country for over six decades, working their way up from worker’s union positions, through parliament, and on to the presidency. Jagan became the President of Guyana in 1992, remaining in the position until his death in 1997. He is regarded in Guyana as “the father of the nation” to this day.