James Ategan Bop (died 12 July 1984) was a

Nauru Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Ki ...

an politician. He served as a member of

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

and its predecessors from 1951 to 1955 and then from 1959 until his death, and was

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

for most of the period between 1968 and 1978.

Biography

Bop was a member of the Iruwa tribe. He was educated at

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

in Australia. Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he returned to Nauru and was employed by the Nauru Co-operative Society. In

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a populatio ...

to the

Local Government Council Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administrat ...

from the

Meneng Meneng may refer to: * Meneng District, Nauru ** Meneng Constituency ** Meneng Hotel ** Meneng Stadium Meneng may refer to: * Meneng District, Nauru ** Meneng Constituency ** Meneng Hotel ** Meneng Stadium {{Disambiguation es:Meneng fr:Me ...

constituency. However, he lost his seat in

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

. In 1957 he joined the Administering Authority run by the Australian government. He was elected to the Local Government Council again in

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

, and re-elected in

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

. He was elected to the new Legislative Council in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

and was part of the 1967 Constitutional Assembly that drew up the independence constitution. After being re-elected in

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

, he was elected to the Council of State and became Minister of Finance later in the year. He remained a minister until the

1976 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1976. Africa * 1976–1977 Guinea-Bissau legislative election * 1976 Malawian general election * 1976 Mauritanian presidential election * 1976 Tiris El Gharbiya parliamentary by-election (Mauritan ...

when President

Hammer DeRoburt Hammer DeRoburt (25 September 1922 – 15 July 1992) was the first President of the Republic of Nauru, and ruled the country for most of its first twenty years of independence. Background and early career Born in 1922, DeRoburt was the g ...

was replaced by

Bernard Dowiyogo Bernard Annen Auwen Dowiyogo (14 February 1946 – 9 March 2003) was a Nauruan politician who served as President of Nauru on seven separate occasions. During this time, he also served as a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Ubenide. ...

. When DeRoburt regained the presidency in May 1978, Bop returned as Minister of Finance. However, he was replaced in December the same year.Major cabinet reshuffle in Nauru
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', February 1979, p7 He subsequently became Deputy Speaker in 1979 and was chairman of the

Nauru Phosphate Corporation The Nauru Phosphate Corporation (NPC) was a government-owned company controlling phosphate mining in Nauru, now known as the Republic of Nauru Phosphate, or RONPhos. Failed investments In the early years of the Nauru Phosphate Royalties Develo ...

. He died in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in Australia in July 1984 at the age of 62.James Ategan Bop
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', September 1984, p73

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bop, James Nauruan civil servants Members of the Parliament of Nauru Finance Ministers of Nauru 1920s births 1984 deaths Iruwa people 20th-century Nauruan politicians