Background
Habib was born on April 9, 1927 in Paris, France. Son of former President Habib Bourguiba.
Habib was born on April 9, 1927 in Paris, France. Son of former President Habib Bourguiba.
Educated at Sadiki College, Tunis, and the Lycee Carnot, Dijon in France. He graduated in law after studying at Grenoble and Paris.
Active in the liberation movement from 1951 onwards, he practised law in Tunis from 1954 to 1956. After independence he began his diplomatic career as counsellor at the Tunisian Embassy in Washington in 1956. The following year he was appointed Ambassador to Italy. From 1958 to 1961 he was Ambassador to France and from 1961 to 1963 Ambassador to the United States of America, Canada and Mexico.
On his return to Tunisia in 1964 he was given two posts: Secretary-General to the President with special responsibility for Information, Tourism, Youth and Sport, and Secretary-General of the Destour Socialist Party. He also became an elected member of Parliament. In November 1964 he was made Secretary of State at the Foreign Ministry. Five years later he was promoted to Foreign Minister and showed he had a quick understanding of international questions as well as a penetrating if somewhat cynical evaluation of the people involved.
His political career suffered a setback when Ben Salah, often seen in his company, was put under house arrest and eventually sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment. The treason trial was a shock to his father. Bourguiba was switched from the Foreign Ministry on June 8, 1970, and ironically given the Ministry of Justice until November 1970 when, his health failing, he was dropped from the cabinet.
For four months he received medical treatment in Switzerland and then returned to Tunis under doctor's orders not to strain himself. In February 1971 he eased himself back into public life with an appointment at the National Investment Bureau. In December 1971, however, his health broke down again at Rabat, Morocco, and he was flown for emergency treatment in Paris. On his recovery doctors advised him to lead a quiet life out of the limelight until he regained some of his old strength.
National Assembly November 1964.
Son of the Republic's Founder-President, well endowed with intelligence and ability not to be always in his father’s shadow. His Western training and experience as a lawyer and ambassador have made him sophisticated in handling international affairs and a shrewd judge of situations though these factors have not always been highly appreciated at home in Arabic quarters. His early enthusiasm for fast driving in Jaguar cars is sometimes more remembered than his undoubted capacity for hard work.
Fluent English speaker, at ease in company and a talent for getting things done. Yet two circumstances have tended to hold him back from a greater role in his country’s development: a breakdown in health in 1970 and 1971, plus the doubts raised by his departure from the cabinet following his association with Ben Salah, the Secretary of State with pronounced Socialist views, who was sentenced to 10 years’ hard labour in May 1970 on charges of treason.
Bourguiba married Neïla Zouiten, the daughter of Chedly Zouiten, who was the chairman of the EST omni sports club of Tunis. They had three children.