Habib Bourguiba was a Tunisian statesman who served as the countrys leader from independence in 1956 to 1987first as Prime Minister from 1956 to 1957 and as its first President from 1957 to 1987.
Bourguiba was officially born on August 3, 1903, although he stated that he was born a year or two before. He was the youngest son of Ali Bourguiba and Fattouma Khefacha, who wasyears old at the time. He also stated that his mother felt ashamed of bearing a child at that advanced age and his father wondered if he could raise him well. Despite his financial difficulties, Ali Bourguiba dedicated a great deal of attention to his childrens education. This was criticized by his brother Mohamed who reproached him for giving too much consideration to their instruction. But he succeeded in providing good education for his children with his military pension, which led to their ascent in important jobs. His first born child, Mohamed, worked in Tunis as a nurse in Sadiki Hospital. Ahmed and Mohamed worked in the state administration. When Habib was born, his brother, Mahmoud, was pursuing his studies in Sadiki College. In that year, Ali became councilman of Monastir, a job that helped him pro
Source: Wikipedia