Giorgio Borg Olivier

Doctor The Honourable Giorgio Borg Olivier GCPO, KSS, LLD
Prime Minister of Malta
In office 5 March 1962 – 21 June 1971
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor General	Sir Maurice Henry Dorman
Preceded by	Dom Mintoff
Succeeded by	Dom Mintoff
In office 20 December 1950 – 11 March 1955
Monarch	George VI Elizabeth II
Governor	Gerald Hallen Creasy Sir Robert Laycock
Preceded by	Enrico Mizzi
Succeeded by	Dom Mintoff
Personal details
Born	Ġorġ Borg Olivier 5 July 1911 Valetta, Malta
Died	29 October 1980(1980-10-29) (aged 69) Valetta, Malta
Nationality	Maltese
Political party	Nationalist
Spouse(s)	Alexandra Mattei (1943-1980; his death)
Children	Angela Alexander Peter
Alma mater	Royal University of Malta
Occupation	Attorney, politician
Religion	Roman Catholic

Giorgio Borg Olivier (Maltese: Ġorġ Borg Olivier) (5 July 1911 - 29 October 1980) was twice Prime Minister of Malta (1950 to 1955 and 1962 to 1971) as the Leader of the Nationalist Party. He was also Leader of the Opposition between 1955 and 1958 and again between 1971 and 1977. He resigned from Leader of the Nationalist Party in 1977 and was succeeded by Eddie Fenech Adami. However, he retained his parliamentary seat until his death in 1980.

Dr. G. Borg Olivier was born in Valletta son of Olivier Borg Olivier de Puget Paleologo and Rosa Amato-Pace. He was educated at the Lyceum, Malta, and the Royal University of Malta where he graduated Doctor of Laws in 1937. In 1939 he was elected to the Council of Government. With the return of responsible Government in 1947 Dr. Borg Olivier was elected to the Legislative Assembly and was later Deputy Leader of the Opposition. In 1950 he held the post of Minister of Works and Reconstruction and the post of Minister of Education in the Nationalist Minority Government led by Dr Enrico Mizzi. He succeeded Dr. Mizzi as leader of the Nationalist Party, Prime Minister and Minister of Justice in a Minority Government on the latter's death in December 1950.

After the general elections held in May 1951, Dr. Borg Olivier formed a coalition Government with the Malta Works Party. Dr. Borg Olivier was Head of the new Government, he retained the Ministry of Works and Reconstruction. He was again returned to office in 1953 and was Head of a Coalition Government with the Malta Worker's Party until he was defeated in 1955. From 1955 to 1958 Dr. Borg Olivier was leader of Opposition. He led the Nationalist Party delegations in June and September 1955 for the Malta Round Table Conference and in November 1958 he led the Party delegation for talks in London about the restoration of self-government.

Following the February 1962 election, Dr. Borg Olivier agreed to form a Government after obtaining important amendments to the Constitution. In addition to being Prime Minister, he assumed the portfolio of Minister of Economic Planning and Finance. In June he made a formal request for Independence and in September of the same year he attended the Commonwealth Prime Minister's Meeting.

On 13 July 1963, Dr. Borg Olivier headed a Government delegation for the Malta Independence Conference at the end of which it was announced that Malta would become independent. On 25 January 1964, Dr. Borg Olivier was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Sylvester, Pope, by His Holiness Pope Paul VI.^{[citation needed]} After having had a series of talks with the British Government and after preparing a Constitution for an independent Malta, which was endorsed by Parliament and approved by the people in a referendum held in February 1964, Dr. Giorgio Borg Olivier set 21 September as Malta's Independence Day.

On Independence Day the degree of Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) was conferred on Dr. Borg Olivier by the Royal University of Malta.

In November 1964, he was received by His Holiness Pope Paul VI and made Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Pius IX.^{[citation needed]} In March 1965, he became Minister of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in addition to his duties as Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Planning and Finance. In the General Elections held in March 1966, the Nationalist Party was again returned to power with Dr. Borg Olivier as Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. On 14 June 1968, Dr. Borg Olivier was decorated with the Grand Cross of Merit of the Order of Malta by the Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitallier Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta.^{[citation needed]}

His funeral was followed by thousands of people who went to Valletta to pay their last tributes to Borg Olivier. This marked a new era for the Nationalist Party which at the time was the Opposition party. A monument in honour of George Borg Olivier was erected in Castille Square, Valletta in 1989, as part of the events commemorating the 25th anniversary of Independence.

Dr. G. Borg Olivier married Alexandra Mattei in 1943. They had one daughter, Angela, and two sons, Alexander and Peter. Borg Olivier's wife, Alexandra, died on Wednesday 25 February 2009, aged 87.

See also

• Prime Minister of Malta
• List of Prime Ministers of Malta

References

Political offices
Preceded by Enrico Mizzi	Prime Minister of Malta 1950–1955	Succeeded by Dominic Mintoff
Preceded by Office abolished	Prime Minister of Malta 1962–1971	Succeeded by Dominic Mintoff
Party political offices
Preceded by Enrico Mizzi	Leader of the Nationalist Party 1950–1977	Succeeded by Eddie Fenech Adami

Persondata
Name	Borg Olivier
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	5 July 1911
Place of birth	Valetta, Malta
Date of death	29 October 1980
Place of death	Valetta, Malta