(1923-2002)The First Female President of Malta. During WW II she served as a Air Raid Warden and from the early 1940s to 1947 she was a school teacher. In 1947 she became the first woman elected to Parliament where she won 11 elections and served until 1981 as a member of the Labor Party. From 1955-58 she was Education Minister in the Mintoff Government where she instituted compulsory education and expanded the number of teachers In 1958 she served 43 days at hard labor for picketing during a national strike following the resignation of Mintoff. From 1971-74 she again served as Education Mininster, followed by Minister of Labour, Culture and Welfare and finally as Deputy Prime Minister. On February 16, 1982 she was appointed the third President of the Republic of Malta and served a 5-year term ending in 1987. Barbara died in 2002 and is pictured on Maltese currency. Sig. "Malta"

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