Agatha Barbara
Encyclopedia
Agatha Barbara was a Maltese politician, having served as a Labour Member of Parliament
and Minister
, and President of Malta
. She was the first and, to date, the only female President of Malta
.
, Malta, and was educated at the grammar school
in Valletta
. During the Second World War, she worked as an air raid
warden. She was a schoolteacher from the early 1940s until 1947, when she became the first woman elected to the Maltese parliament; she was the only woman to be returned in these elections.
from 1955 to 1958 and instituted compulsory full-time education in Malta for children, leading to the hiring of hundreds of new teachers. In 1958 she served 43 days in prison "with hard labour", for picketing during a national strike following the resignation of Mintoff.
In a subsequent Labour government, she was once again Minister for Education, between 1971 and 1974, after which she became Minister for Labour, Culture and Welfare and eventually Deputy Prime Minister.
. She retired to Żabbar, where she died in 2002.
A monument in her honour was unveiled in Żabbar on 23 April 2006 by the then President of Malta
, Dr.Edward Fenech Adami.
In 2010, Joseph Chetcuti claimed that Barbara had been a lesbian
, based on interviews with contemporaries.
House of Representatives of Malta
The House of Representatives is the unicameral legislature of Malta and a component of the Parliament of Malta.The House is composed of an odd number of members elected for a five year term...
and Minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
, and President of Malta
President of Malta
The President of Malta is the constitutional head of state of Malta.The President is appointed by a resolution of the House of Representatives of Malta for a five year term, taking an oath to "preserve, protect and defend" the Constitution....
. She was the first and, to date, the only female President of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
.
Early life
Barbara was born in ŻabbarZabbar
Ħaż-Żabbar is the fourth largest town in Malta, with a population of 17,030 . Originally a part of Żejtun, Ħaż-Żabbar was granted the title of Città Hompesch by the last of the Grandmasters of the Knights of St...
, Malta, and was educated at the grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
in Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
. During the Second World War, she worked as an air raid
Airstrike
An air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...
warden. She was a schoolteacher from the early 1940s until 1947, when she became the first woman elected to the Maltese parliament; she was the only woman to be returned in these elections.
Political life
Barbara was a member of parliament until 1981, by which time she had contested and been elected in ten consecutive elections. She served as education minister of Malta in the Labour Party government of Dom MintoffDom Mintoff
Dom Mintoff is a Maltese politician, journalist and architect, who served as leader of the Labour Party from 1949 to 1984, Prime Minister of Malta from 1955 to 1958 and again, post-Independence, from 1971 to...
from 1955 to 1958 and instituted compulsory full-time education in Malta for children, leading to the hiring of hundreds of new teachers. In 1958 she served 43 days in prison "with hard labour", for picketing during a national strike following the resignation of Mintoff.
In a subsequent Labour government, she was once again Minister for Education, between 1971 and 1974, after which she became Minister for Labour, Culture and Welfare and eventually Deputy Prime Minister.
Presidency
On 15 February 1982, she was appointed the third President of the Republic for a five year term, until 1987, the only woman to hold this post. She appeared on the old series of monetary notes of MaltaMalta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. She retired to Żabbar, where she died in 2002.
A monument in her honour was unveiled in Żabbar on 23 April 2006 by the then President of Malta
President of Malta
The President of Malta is the constitutional head of state of Malta.The President is appointed by a resolution of the House of Representatives of Malta for a five year term, taking an oath to "preserve, protect and defend" the Constitution....
, Dr.Edward Fenech Adami.
In 2010, Joseph Chetcuti claimed that Barbara had been a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, based on interviews with contemporaries.
External links
- Official Biography from the Ministry of Information (Malta)