George Cakobau
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His Excellency Ratu Sir George Kadavulevu Cakobau GCMG GCVO OBE |
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|---|---|
| 2nd Governor-General of Fiji | |
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In office 13 January 1973 – 12 February 1983 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Sir Robert Sidney Foster |
| Succeeded by | Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 November 1912 |
| Died | 25 November 1989 (aged 77) |
| Spouse(s) | 1. Adi Veniana Gavoka 2. Lelea Seruwaia Balekiwai |
| Relations | Father – Ratu Popi Seniloli |
| Education |
Queen Victoria School Newington College Wanganui Technical College |
| Military service | |
| Rank | Captain |
Ratu Sir George Kadavulevu Cakobau GCMG GCVO OBE (6 November 1912 – 25 November 1989) was Governor General of Fiji from 1973 to 1983. A great-grandson of Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau, the King of Bau who had unified all the tribes of Fiji under his reign in the mid-1800s and subsequently ceded the islands to the United Kingdom in 1874, Ratu Sir George held the traditional titles of Vunivalu of Bau and Tui Levuka and thus was considered by many as Fiji's highest-ranking traditional chief. Ratu Cakobau, was appointed Governor General in 1973, becoming the first indigenous Fijian to serve as the representative of Queen Elizabeth II.
Ratu Cakobau was educated first at Fiji's Queen Victoria School, then at Newington College in Australia (1927–1932) and Wanganui Technical College in Wanganui, New Zealand. He became a member of the Great Council of Chiefs in 1938, where he remained until 1972. When he first joined the Council, it had the power to make laws for the ethnic Fijian population, but this power was removed towards the end of the colonial era, as modern political institutions were built.
Ratu Cakobau served with the Fiji Military Forces in World War II (1939–1945), rising to the rank of Captain. Following his return to Fiji after the end of the war, he was nominated to the Legislative Council in 1951. He remained a member of this body, which was renamed the House of Representatives when Fiji became independent in 1970, until his appointment as Governor-General. He served in the Cabinet, first as Minister for Fijian Affairs and Local Government and subsequently as a minister without portfolio, from 1970 to 1972.
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