Darwin Diengdoh Pugh (12 January 1927 – 17 November 2008) was the second

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

of the state of

Meghalaya Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of As ...

in north-eastern India and the first Khasi person to hold the position. He was the general secretary of

All Party Hill Leaders Conference The All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC) was a political party of the Indian state of Meghalaya. The president of the party was Mr Williamson A. Sangma. The party had made major gains in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly from 1970 to 1982. ...

(APHLC).

Career

Born on 12 January 1927 at

Sohra Cherrapunji () or Sohra is a subdivisional town (Proposed District) East Khasi Hills district in the Indian state of Meghalaya. It is the traditional capital of ka ''hima'' Sohra (Khasi tribal kingdom). Sohra has often been credited as being t ...

to late Bransly Marpna Pugh and Glis Diengdoh, Pugh had his education at

Gauhati University Gauhati University, also known as GU, is a collegiate public state university located in Guwahati, Assam, India. It was established on 26 January 1948 under the provisions of an Act enacted by the Assam Legislative Assembly. It is the oldest ...

. He began his professional career as a crew in the Navy during the Second World War. He also served as the Headmaster of the Nisangram School in

Garo Hills The Garo Hills (Pron: ˈgɑ:rəʊ) are part of the Garo-Khasi range in Meghalaya, India. They are inhabited by the Garo people. It is one of the wettest places in the world. The range is part of the Meghalaya subtropical forests ecoregion. De ...

and Cherra Presbyterian Proceeding High School in Nongsawlia,

. Pugh joined active politics in the early 1960s and was elected as member of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council in 1967–72. In 1972, he was elected on the APHLC ticket from Nongskhen constituency, bordering

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

and subsequently made his maiden entry to the first state Assembly.

References

Chief Ministers of Meghalaya Meghalaya politicians 1927 births 2008 deaths Gauhati University alumni People from East Khasi Hills district State cabinet ministers of Meghalaya Meghalaya MLAs 1978–1983 {{Meghalaya-politician-stub