Jigme Palden Dorji
| Jigme Palden Dorji | |
|---|---|
| 1st Prime Minister of Bhutan | |
|
In office 1952 – 6 April 1964 | |
| Monarch | Jigme Dorji |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Succeeded by | Jigme Thinley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1919 |
| Died | 6 April 1964 |
| Political party | Independent |
Jigme Palden Dorji (1919 – 6 April 1964)[1] was a Bhutanese politician and member of the Dorji family. By marriage, he was also a member of the House of Wangchuck.[2]
The brother-in-law of Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, Dorji was close to his kinsman and accompanied the future king when he lived in the United Kingdom in 1950.[3]
Appointed Chief minister (Gongzim) in 1952, he became the first man to hold the title Prime Minister of Bhutan (Lonchen).[4] This followed the upgrading of the old position in 1958 as part of a wider series of reforms by Jigme Dorji Wangchuck.[5] As brother-in-law of the Dragon King of Bhutan Dorji helped to drive the king's modernisation polices. However his reforms antagonised both the military and the religious institutions leading to a corporal in the army assassinating him in April 1964. Namgyal Bahadur, head of the Royal Bhutan Army, was amongst those executed for the murder plot.[5]
References
- ↑ Lindsay Brown, Bradley Mayhew, Stan Armington, Richard Whitecross, Bhutan, 2007, p. 40
- ↑ BHUTAN (Kingdom)
- ↑ Grooming of the Father of Modern Bhutan
- ↑ Bhutan
- 1 2 Modernization under Jigme Dorji, 1952-72
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by office created |
Prime Minister of Bhutan 1952–1964 |
Succeeded by Lhendup Dorji Acting |
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