Johan Ferrier | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ferrier in 1975 | |
| 1st President of Suriname | |
| In office 25 November 1975 – 13 August 1980 | |
| Prime Minister |
|
| Leader | Dési Bouterse (Feb–Aug 1980) |
| Preceded by | Office established;Juliana (asQueen of Suriname) |
| Succeeded by | Henk Chin A Sen |
| Governor-General of Suriname | |
| In office 15 March 1968 – 25 November 1975 | |
| Monarch | Juliana |
| Prime Minister | Henck Arron |
| Preceded by | Henry Lucien de Vries |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| 5th Prime Minister of Suriname | |
| In office 16 April 1955 – 16 July 1958 | |
| Monarch | Juliana |
| Governors General | |
| Preceded by | Archibald Currie |
| Succeeded by | Severinus Desiré Emanuels |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Johan Henri Eliza Ferrier (1910-05-12)12 May 1910 |
| Died | 4 January 2010(2010-01-04) (aged 99) Oegstgeest, Netherlands |
| Political party | National |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 8, includingCynthia,[1]Joan[2] andKathleen[3] |
| Alma mater | University of Amsterdam (Dr.) |
| Occupation |
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Johan Henri Eliza Ferrier (12 May 1910 – 4 January 2010) was a Surinamese politician who served as the firstpresident of Suriname from 1975 to 1980. He was also the country's lastgovernor-general before independence, serving from 1968 to 1975, before becoming the first president upon independence from theKingdom of the Netherlands in 1975 and also served as the fifthprime minister from 1955 to 1958.
He was named the twentieth century's most important politician in Suriname in 1999.[4]
Ferrier was born in 1910 inSuriname's largest city and capital,Paramaribo.[5] He trained as a teacher. In 1946 he assisted in the establishment of the country's National Party, while Suriname was a colony of the Netherlands.[6]
Ferrier was co-founder of theBoy Scouts van Suriname and its first Chief Scout. At age 16 he was a teacher in theSaramacca District and founded his firstScout Group. This group still exists and now bears the name "De Johan Ferrier groep, de groep 2 Oranje Dassers".[7]
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In 1946, Ferrier was one of the founding members of theNational Party of Suriname.[8] Ferrier was a member of the National Council from 1946 until 1948.[5] He then went toAmsterdam in the Netherlands to learneducation theory.[5] In 1950, he received hisdoctorate.[9] When he went back to Suriname, which had by then becomean autonomous country within theKingdom of the Netherlands, he continued to study and to have a career in education.[5] He served as bothprime minister and interior minister for a three-year period from 1955 until 1958.[5] He also spent time as Suriname's head of education.[5] From 1968 until 1975 he retained the post of governor.[6] On 25 November 1975, Suriname was made independent, and Ferrier was sworn in as the firstpresident of the country.[10]Dési Bouterse's1980 coup d'état prompted Ferrier to resign within six months.[11]
Prime MinisterHenk Chin A Sen succeeded Ferrier as president.[12] Ferrier was made a Grand Cordon in theHonorary Order of the Yellow Star by Chin A Sen on 3 September 1980. His wife was also made a Grand Officer in theHonorary Order of the Palm.[13]
Ferrier then accompanied his relatives to live in the Netherlands.[14] He lived with them inOegstgeest.[15] Ferrier used to tell stories about the spiderAnansi on Dutch children's television.[16] In 1986,Het Grote Anansi Boek, apicture book was released with illustrations byNoni Lichtveld. The original release wasmonochrome.[17] In 2010, it was re-released in colour.[16]
His daughter,Kathleen Ferrier, is a former member of theHouse of Representatives of the Netherlands for theChristian Democratic Appeal. In 2005, Ferrier's memoirsLast Governor, First President: The Century of Johan Ferrier, Surinamese were published.[6] The Dutch Queen gave him a knighthood.[18] An obituary in the national morning dailyDe Volkskrant said he had claimed: "Even in the darkest days, I kept my optimism".[18]
Ferrier died fromheart failure while sleeping at home in Oegstgeest at the age of 99. His body was found in the early morning hours of 4 January 2010.[6][19]
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands paid tribute.[15]Prime MinisterJan Peter Balkenende said Ferrier was "an authoritative and wise statesman".[15] Politician and diplomatJan Pronk paid tribute to his work at uniting divisions.[15]
Ferrier was buried on 11 January 2010, in the Dutch town ofOegstgeest, where he had been living since 1980.[20]
On 12 May 2010, the day Ferrier would have celebrated his 100th birthday, the Johan Ferrier Fund was officially launched. The fund strives to follow in his footsteps in supporting Surinamese projects with educational and cultural goals. The Johan Ferrier Fund is an initiative of his daughterJoan Ferrier, who first presented the fund in the presence of her father in September 2009.[21]
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Office established | President of Suriname 1975–1989 | Succeeded by |
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| Dutch rule (1667–1975) |
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 Suriname (since 1975) | ||||||
* denotes acting Prime Minister | ||||||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
