Fred Degazon

Frederick Eutrope Degazon (4 January 1913 – 4 October 2008 in Greater London, UK), was the first President of Dominica.

He was born in Castries, Saint Lucia, and from 1980 lived in exile in London.

Degazon went to college in Saint Lucia and studied law in the University of London. In the 1940s he served as a civil servant in Dominica, Saint Lucia and Jamaica until his retirement in 1969. He was elected Speaker of the House of Assembly in 1977 and after declaration of independence in 1978, parliament elected Degazon as first President of Dominica, the post is largely ceremonial.

In June 1979, during a constitutional crisis stirred by the desire for democratic socialist reforms, Degazon tried to leave the country and was eventually allowed to flee to England on 11 June. The House of Assembly initially elected as his replacement Louis Cools-Lartigue, who resigned the next day, and he was then replaced by Jenner Armour. Degazon officially resigned in February 1980. He died on 4 October 2008 at the age of 95.