Background
Jean Stanislas Migolet was born in 1920, at Koula-Moutou in Central Gabon.
Jean Stanislas Migolet was born in 1920, at Koula-Moutou in Central Gabon.
Educated at the Roman Catholic Mission School at Mbigou.
Worked as a clerk in the administration from 1941 to 1947 and in the General Council (advisory body to the government) 1947 to 1952. In 1957 he became Vice-President of the Territorial Assembly and later Minister of Interior. After Gabon voted in favour of autonomy within the French Community in September 1958, he became Minister of Labour and Social Affairs.
He held office as a minister in every successive government—Minister of Interior 1960-1961; President of the National Budgetary and Finance Commission 1961-4, Interior 1964, Public Works 1964-9, Interior July 1968—December 1969, when he became Deputy Vice-President. He was switched back to Minister for Labour and Social Welfare with special responsibility for the National Assembly until March 1973 when he became Minister of Interior.
A jolly, chubby-faced extrovert, more of a professional civil servant than a politician, he came up the hard way from clerk in the French colonial service to the most experienced cabinet minister serving in every government since 1957. In a country where cabinet reshuffles are made up to six times a year, he has been no less than five times