Portal:Gibraltar/Selected biography

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Selected biographies

These are selected biographies related to the Gibraltar which appear on Portal:Gibraltar.



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Peter Caruana QC (born 15 October 1956) is a Gibraltarian politician, and has been Chief Minister of Gibraltar since 1996, when his party, the Gibraltar Social Democrats, first came to power. His party was re-elected to office in 2000, 2003 and 2007. He is a barrister by profession. He was appointed a QC, after his election as chief minister.

The party which he now leads is robustly against any transfer of sovereignty to Spain but are in favour of uncompromised dialogue. In December 2004 the principle of tripartite talks, recognising the Government of Gibraltar as an equal party with Britain and Spain, was finally recognised, largely as a result of his efforts. (more...)


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Joseph John Bossano, known as Joe Bossano, is a Gibraltarian politician, and leader of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party. He was Chief Minister from 25 March 1988 to 17 May 1996. Since that time he has been Leader of the Opposition in the Gibraltar Parliament.

His hardline stance against any sovereignty deal with Spain without the consent of the Gibraltarians, which saw him returned to office in 1992 with a 72% majority vote, (using the slogan "Give Spain No Hope") caused considerable friction with governments in London and Madrid who were looking for a solution to the 300 year old Spanish claim to Gibraltar. As Chief Minister he maintained good relations with Spanish politicians at municipal level, but would not sit to discuss the sovereignty of Gibraltar with them. (more...)


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George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield, KB (1717-12-25-1790-07-06) was born at Wells House, near Stobs Castle, Roxburghshire, the 10th (and 8th surviving) son of Sir Gilbert Eliott, 3rd Baronet of Stobs, by his distant cousin Eleanor, daughter of William Elliot of Wells, also in Roxburghshire. His aunt Charlotte Elliot, sister of Eleanor, had married Roger Elliott, another Governor of Gibraltar.

On October 22, 1772, he was widowered. But from 1774 to 1775 he was C-in-C Ireland, Governor of Londonderry and Culmore. On March 6, 1775, he became a Privy Counsellor, and on May 25, 1777 he was appointed Governor of Gibraltar, succeeding Robert Boyd, the acting Governor. He was promoted to General in 1778. (more...)


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Lieutenant General Sir Robert Fulton, KBE, RM (born 1948) is a British Royal Marines career military officer, and the Governor of Gibraltar since September 2006.

Born in 1948, he was educated at Eton College and the University of East Anglia.

Fulton joined the Royal Marines in 1972. After serving as a junior officer for a number of years he was appointed to the Staff College at Warminster. From 1983-1985 he was a Company Commander in 42 Commando followed by appointments on the staffs of HQ Training, Reserve and Special Forces Royal Marines and the Commandant General Royal Marines in the Ministry of Defence. (more...)


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Paul Isola is a Gibraltarian multitalented musician and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist in the Gibraltarian Flamenco Metal band, Breed 77. Isola is one of the original members and founders of the band. He also plays the djembe, piano, flamenco guitar and palmas for the band. Being a native Gibraltarian, Isola is naturally bilingual in English and Spanish and uses this ability to his advantage when writing songs. He often incorporates Spanish words and phrases into the band's lyrics and sometimes writing them fully in Spanish. He also speaks Llanito when among other Gibraltarians. (more...)


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Sir George Rooke (1650 – January 24, 1709), English naval commander, was born near Canterbury in 1650. Entering the navy as a volunteer, he served in the Dutch Wars and became post captain in 1673.

He became Rear Admiral in 1690, and fought at the Battle of Beachy Head. In May 1692 he served under Russell at the Battle of Barfleur, and he greatly distinguished himself in a night attack on the French fleet at La Hogue, when he succeeded in burning six of their ships. Shortly afterwards he received the honour of knighthood and a reward of £1,000.

In 1702 he commanded the disastrous expedition against Cádiz, but on the passage home destroyed the Spanish treasure fleet in the Battle of Vigo Bay. (more...)


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Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt (Darmstadt 1669 - Barcelona September 13, 1705) was a Fieldmarshal in the Austrian army and conqueror of Gibraltar for the British in 1704. First he fought against the Turks under Prince Eugene of Savoy. He was present at the Battle of Mohacs. Then he joined William III of Orange in the Irish campaign. After his return he converted to Catholicism and became Generalfeldwachtmeister in the Austrian Army in 1694, at the age of 24.

In 1704, under his command 1800 Dutch and British Marines were landed near Gibraltar, took the fortress and defended it successfully against a Spanish-French siege, holding of repeated attacks. (more...)


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General Sir George Don, GCB, GCH (30 April 1756 – 1 January 1832) was a senior British Army military officer and colonial governor during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. His service was conducted across Europe, but his most important work was in military and defensive organisation against the threat of French invasion during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Don was also frequently requested for advisory and espionage work by British generals and was once employed by the Prussian State as a spy. In 1799 he was arrested during a truce by Guillaume Brune who accused him of attempting to ferment rebellion in the Batavian Republic and was not released until the Peace of Amiens. During and following the wars, Don also served as governor of Jersey and Gibraltar, implementing organisational reforms with much success in both places. (more...)


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General Sir Alexander John Godley KCB, KCMG (1867-1957) was a First World War general and served as Governor of Gibraltar. He is best known for his role as commander of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and British XXII Corps, although he was also Commander of the New Zealand Defence Force, and had been in 1910, when he was appointed on the advice of Lord Kitchener. During the Battle of Gallipoli he commanded the New Zealand and Australian Division.

Alexander Godley was born in Chatham, Kent, England, on 4 February 1867, the son of William Godley, a British Army Captain of Irish heritage. He attended Sandhurst Military Academy and, after graduating in 1886, was commissioned in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. He married Louisa Fowler in 1898 before serving in the Boer War. During his time in South Africa, Godley served with the Irish Guards. (more...)


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Edward Cornwallis, (c 1713 – 14 January 1776), was a British military officer, known as “the Founder of Halifax”.

He was born in London, the sixth son of Charles, fourth Baron Cornwallis, and Lady Charlotte Butler, daughter of the Earl of Arran. The Cornwallis family possessed large estates at Culford in Suffolk and the Channel Islands. Edward had a twin brother (Frederick, later Archbishop of Canterbury), and they were both made royal pages at the age of 12. They were both enrolled at Eton school at 14, and at age 18, Edward entered into military service.

In 1762 Cornwallis was served as Governor of Gibraltar from June 14, 1761 to January 1776 and died 14 years later, at the age of 63. A statue of Edward Cornwallis stands at the center of Cornwallis Park in downtown Halifax. Cornwallis Junior High School in Halifax is named for him. (more...)


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Sir Francis Richards, KCMG, CVO, DL (born 1945), was Her Majesty's Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar from 2003 to 2006. He was previously Director of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in Cheltenham from 1998 to April 2003 when he was replaced by Sir David Pepper.

Richards' father, Sir Brooks Richards, served in Gibraltar with the Special Operations Executive during the Second World War. Educated at Eton and King's College, Cambridge, Richards was commissioned into the Royal Green Jackets, serving with the United Nations Force in Cyprus. After Richards' army career was cut short by injury, he entered the Diplomatic Service, serving in Moscow, Vienna, New Delhi and Namibia and holding a number of senior posts at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. (more...)