Abraham Serfaty (Gibraltarian)

Abraham William Serfaty CBE, JP, was a Gibraltarian architect and politician.

His Worship
Abraham William Serfaty
CBE, JP
Mayor of Gibraltar
In office
1979–1988
Personal details
BornGibraltar
NationalityBritish (Gibraltarian)
Political partyAssociation for the Advancement of Civil Rights (AACR)
OccupationArchitect
Politician

Biography

Born in 1910, Abraham William Serfaty was a draughtsman of the Gibraltar City Council when he received an invitation to work for Messrs Pearson Mechanical and Civil Engineers in the UK. While in England, he completed his studies in civil engineering.[1]

Returning to the Rock, Serfaty worked as an architect and later joined the AACR of Sir Joshua Hassan.[1] He ran for the Legislative Council in 1950 but was not elected.[2] However, he became part of the Executive Council, initially as an "unofficial member".[3] In the Legislative Council elections of 1956, he was one of four AACR members elected, the others being Joshua Hassan, Albert Risso, and J. E. Alcantara.[4]

He served at first as Member or Minister for Medical Services, then as Minister for Tourism, and finally as Minister for Economic Development in successive AACR Governments until his retirement in 1984.

Between 1979 and 1988 he served as Mayor of Gibraltar.[5]

In 1980, he became Commander of the Order of the British Empire in recognition for public services in Gibraltar.[6]

References
  1. Caruana, Joe L. (2011). When the Hangman Came. AuthorHouse UK Ltd. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-4567-7866-8.
  2. Jewish News Archive, ed. (16 November 1950). "Jew Elected to Gibraltar's New Legislative Council; 800 Jews Live on Famed "rock"". Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  3. "Colonial Office".
  4. 'Gibraltar Election' in The Times (London), issue 53643 dated 22 September 1956, p. 5
  5. Tigay, Alan M. (1994). The Jewish Traveler: Hadassah Magazine's Guide to the World's Jewish Communities and Sights. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 194. ISBN 9781568210780. The late Abraham Serfaty followed him to the mayoralty in 1979
  6. "Civil Division of the Order of the British Empire" (PDF).
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