Veerasamy Ringadoo

The Right Honourable Sir Veerasamy Ringadoo GCMG GCSK QC
1st President of Mauritius
In office 12 March 1992 – 30 June 1992
Prime Minister	Anerood Jugnauth
Vice President	Vacant
Preceded by	Elizabeth II as Queen of Mauritius
Succeeded by	Cassam Uteem
6th Governor-General of Mauritius
In office 17 January 1986 – 12 March 1992
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Sir Anerood Jugnauth
Preceded by	Sir Cassam Moollan (acting)
Succeeded by	Position abolished (himself as President of Mauritius)
Personal details
Born	Vīracāmi Riṅkāṭu 20 October 1920 Port Louis, British Mauritius[1]
Died	9 September 2000(2000-09-09) (aged 79)
Alma mater	London School of Economics (LSE)

Sir Veerasamy Ringadoo, GCMG, GCSK, QC, (born Vīracāmi Riṅkāṭu; 20 October 1920 – 9 September 2000) was a Mauritian politician, minister, the sixth and last governor-general of Mauritius from 1986 to 1992, and then the first president of Mauritius from March to June 1992.

Early life

Born in 1920 in an Indian Tamil family,[2] Ringadoo was educated at Port Louis Grammar School and completed his LLB at the London School of Economics in 1948. He was also a founder of the League of Tamils in 1937.[3]

Political career

At the 1953 general elections he was elected for the first time to the Legislative Council in Moka-Flacq, representing Labour Party alongside Ackbar Gujadhur and Satcam Boolell.[4] At the 1959 and 1963 elections he was elected to the Legislative Council at No. 17 Quartier Militaire after standing as candidate of Labour Party.[5][6]

In 1967, he was elected to Legislative Council at Constituency No. 8 (Quartier Militaire-Moka) as candidate of the Independence Party coalition alongside Mahess Teeluck and Abdool Razack Mohamed.[7]

In 1976, he was re-elected at No. 8, alongside Mahess Teeluck.[8] He held the portfolio of finance minister of Mauritius during most of these terms. But at the 1982 general elections he was not elected following the landslide victory of MMM-PSM against PTr-PMSD.[9]

He served as governor-general of Mauritius from 17 January 1986 to 12 March 1992, when it became a republic. Ringadoo then served as interim president until later in 1992, when he was replaced by the second president, Cassam Uteem.^[citation needed]

Recognition

Ringadoo was knighted in the 1975 New Year Honours,[10] and following his appointment as Governor-General, appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George in June 1986.[11]

References

1. Who's who of Rhodesia, Mauritius, Central and East Africa. Wooten & Gibson. 1971. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
2. "Mauritius - Politics of the Republic of Mauritius".
3. "History of the Tamil League". Archived from the original on 29 April 2009. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
4. "1953 results of elections" (PDF). Government of Mauritius.
5. "1959 election results". Government of Mauritius.
6. "1963 Results of elections". Government of Mauritius.
7. "Results of 1967 elections" (PDF). Government of Mauritius.
8. "Results of 1976 elections" (PDF). Government of Mauritius.
9. "Results of 1982 elections" (PDF). Government of Mauritius.
10. London Gazette, 1 January 1975
11. London Gazette, 10 June 1986

Government offices
Preceded by Cassam Moollan Acting	Governor-General of Mauritius 1986–1992	Succeeded by Position abolished
Political offices
Preceded by Elizabeth II as Queen of Mauritius	President of Mauritius 1992	Succeeded by Cassam Uteem