Carlos S. Camacho facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carlos Camacho
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| 1st Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands | |
| In office January 9, 1978 – January 11, 1982 |
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| Lieutenant | Francisco Ada |
| Preceded by | Erwin Canham (Resident Commissioner) |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Tenorio |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Carlos Sablan Camacho
February 27, 1937 Saipan, Mariana Islands, South Pacific Mandate |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Lourdes Camacho |
| Education | Fiji School of Medicine (MBBS) University of Hawaiʻi (MPH) |
Carlos Sablan Camacho was born on February 27, 1937. He is a politician from the Northern Mariana Islands. He made history by becoming the very first governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. He served in this important role from January 9, 1978, to January 11, 1982.
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Early Life and School
Carlos Sablan Camacho was born in Saipan. He was one of eleven children in his family. His parents were Luis Taimanao Camacho and Ramona Reyes Sablan.
He went to school in Saipan when he was young. Later, he was invited to attend a special school called Pacific Islands Central School in Truk (now Chuuk). After high school, he went to the Fiji School of Medicine. There, he studied basic medicine and dentistry.
His Career
Carlos Camacho worked as a doctor until 1967. That year, he was elected to the Congress of Micronesia. This was like a parliament for many Pacific islands.
From 1969 to 1977, he was the main doctor for public health in the Pacific islands. He also led the Democratic Party in Saipan from 1975 to 1977. In 1976, he was chosen to be part of the Northern Marianas Constitutional Convention. This was a meeting to help write the rules for the Northern Mariana Islands government.
Dr. Camacho is married to Lourdes Camacho. They have seven children.
Becoming Governor
On December 10, 1977, Carlos Camacho ran for governor. He won against Jose C. Tenorio, a businessman from Saipan, by a small number of votes. This made him the first elected Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands.
He officially became Governor on January 9, 1978. He served one term, from 1978 to 1982. In 1981, when it was time for the next election, there was a disagreement in the Democratic Party. Both Camacho and Senator Herman Rogolifoi Guerrero said they should be the party's choice for governor.
After a court case, the court said Guerrero was the correct choice for the Democratic Party. So, Camacho created a new party called the Commonwealth Popular Democratic Party. He still wanted to run for governor. His running mate was Lorenzo Deleon Guerrero Cabrera.
In that election, Camacho lost. Pedro Tenorio, who was a Republican, won the election. Camacho came in second place.
A Lawsuit During His Term
In 1980, the Northern Mariana Islands legislature made a budget. This budget planned to spend a lot of money on improvements for the island of Rota. Governor Camacho did not agree with this part of the budget. He said it was too much money and not fair to other islands. So, he stopped that part of the budget.
A person from Rota named Leon Taisacan then sued Governor Camacho. Taisacan said that Camacho's action went against the rules set in the agreement between the United States and the Northern Mariana Islands. A court first sided with Camacho. Later, a higher court said that Taisacan could not sue because he was not directly harmed by the governor's decision.
After Being Governor
After the election in 1982, Carlos Camacho rejoined the Democratic Party. This happened when his new party and the Democratic Party came back together.
In 1985, Camacho ran for governor again as the Democratic candidate. He faced Pedro Tenorio once more but lost the election.
In 1995, he was elected to another Constitutional Convention. During this meeting, he led the group from Saipan. He also chaired the legal subcommittee. He almost became the president of the convention, but he lost by just one vote.
