Thawan Thamrongnawasawat (also spelt ''Thawal Thamrongnavaswadhi'' or ''Thawal Thamrongnavasawat''; th, ถวัลย์ ธำรงนาวาสวัสดิ์, ; ), born Thawan Tharisawat (, ; 21 November 1901 – 3 December 1988), was the eighth

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

from 1946–1947. Before becoming a politician, he was a

naval officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

, holding the rank of

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

Education

Ayutthaya Wittayalai School Ayutthaya Wittayalai School (A.Y.W., th, โรงเรียนอยุธยาวิทยาลัย) is a school in Thailand, established in March 1905 by H.M. the King Chulalongkorn's region. History Buildings and landmarks in ...

Debsirin School Debsirin School ( th, โรงเรียนเทพศิรินทร์, ) is a single-sex education, boys' secondary school in Thailand. Founded by King Chulalongkorn in 1885, its alumni include King Ananda Mahidol, Malaysia's founding ...

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU, th, จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย, ), nicknamed Chula ( th, จุฬาฯ), is a public and autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally fo ...

Royal Thai Naval Academy The Royal Thai Naval Academy (Thai: โรงเรียนนายเรือ) (RTNA) was established by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in 1898. He officially opened the academy on 20 November 1906. Originally located on the royal yacht ''Maha ...

Careers

A career naval officer of Chinese ancestry, Thamrong was a leading member of the anti-Japanese

Free Thai Movement The Free Thai Movement ( th, เสรีไทย; ) was a Thai underground resistance movement against Imperial Japan during World War II. Seri Thai were an important source of military intelligence for the Allies in the region. Background I ...

resistance movement during

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 became Thailand's elected prime minister on 23 August 1946, replacing

Pridi Banomyong Pridi Banomyong ( th, ปรีดี พนมยงค์, , ; 11 May 1900 – 2 May 1983), also known by his noble title Luang Praditmanutham ( th, หลวงประดิษฐ์มนูธรรม) was a Thai politician and professo ...

. However, he was removed from office by a military coup orchestrated by Field Marshal

Plaek Phibunsongkhram Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram ( th, แปลก พิบูลสงคราม ; alternatively transcribed as ''Pibulsongkram'' or ''Pibulsonggram''; 14 July 1897 – 11 June 1964), locally known as Marshal P. ( th, จอมพล � ...

on 8 November 1947. Khuang Aphaiwong then assumed the post of prime minister. After King Rama VII abdicated the throne, Thamrong was appointed by the government to be the leader of a faculty of representatives to travel to invite Prince

Ananda Mahidol Ananda Mahidol ( th, พระบาทสมเด็จพระปรเมนทรมหาอานันทมหิดล; ; 20 September 1925 – 9 June 1946), posthumous reigning title Phra Athamaramathibodin ( th, พระอั� ...

, who was living in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

with his mother and two siblings, to ascend to the throne as King Rama VIII of the

Chakri dynasty The Chakri dynasty ( th, ราชวงศ์ จักรี, , , ) is the current reigning dynasty of the Kingdom of Thailand, the head of the house is the king, who is head of state. The family has ruled Thailand since the founding of the ...

. However, due to political fluctuations, a coup eventually occurred originating from within a group of soldiers led by

Phin Choonhavan Field Marshal Phin Choonhavan ( th, ผิน ชุณหะวัณ; ; August 14, 1891 – 26 January 1973) was a Thai military leader and Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand. Phin was a leader of several coups against the government, most nota ...

on 8 November 1947, resulting in Thamrong having to leave the country and stay in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

for a period. When Thamrong later returned to Thailand he was appointed as a member of the Constitutional Drafting Assembly. After that, he lived a relatively quietly life.

Death

Thawan Thamrongnawasawat died on 3 December 1988 at

Phramongkutklao Hospital Phramongkutklao Hospital () is a hospital located in Ratchathewi District, Bangkok, Thailand. It is a military hospital for the Royal Thai Army and a teaching hospital for Phramongkutklao College of Medicine which trains doctors for the Royal Thai A ...

, aged 87 years, being the first and only naval officer to date who has served as prime minister.

Academic rank

* 1939

Adjunct Professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, however the genera ...

Thammasat University Thammasat University (Abbreviation, Abrv: TU th, มธ.; th, มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์, , ) is a public research university in Thailand with campuses in Tha Phra Chan area of Phra Nakhon District near the ...

http://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2482/D/809.PDF

Royal decorations

Thawan has received the following royal decorations in the

Honours System An order is a visible honour awarded by a sovereign state, monarch, dynastic house or organisation to a person, typically in recognition of individual merit, that often comes with distinctive insignia such as collars, medals, badges, and sashes ...

of Thailand: * Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่เชิดชูยิ่งช้างเผือก; ) is an order (decoration), orde ...

* Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of The Most Noble

Order of the Crown of Thailand The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันมีเกียรติยศยิ่งมงกุฎไทย; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama ...

King Rama VIII Royal Cypher Medal

References

1901 births 1988 deaths

Thawan Thamrongnawasawat Thawan Thamrongnawasawat (also spelt ''Thawal Thamrongnavaswadhi'' or ''Thawal Thamrongnavasawat''; th, ถวัลย์ ธำรงนาวาสวัสดิ์, ; ), born Thawan Tharisawat (, ; 21 November 1901 – 3 December 1988), w ...

Leaders ousted by a coup {{Thailand-politician-stub