Maltese Dad Of American Presidential Candidate Dies Days After His Son Launches Campaign
The Maltese father of US presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has died after succumbing to illness, his son has announced.
Joseph Buttigieg, 68, moved to the United States in the 1970s to read for a PhD and eventually landed a job as a professor of English at a university in Indiana.
His story hit the Maltese news last week after his son Pete Buttigieg confirmed his plan to become the Democratic Party’s representative in next year’s election.
“We are in mourning today. With his family at his side, Dad passed away peacefully earlier this afternoon. We miss him already but his love of life, and his moral passion, will stay with us forever,” the candidate posted on social media. “As a friend, colleague, thinker, and educator, he touched countless lives, and we hope to find a way to honor his impact later on in the spring.”
“The last thing he said to us was, ‘It’s been a good trip.’ So it has. We love you, Dad.”
Malta’s Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said the island should honour Buttigieg for his contribution to academia.
“He was an intellectual with a big heart, who truly believed and endorsed the values of social justice and democracy and who went against the mantra that money can buy everyone off,” Bartolo said. “Our country should honour one of its children.”
Pete Buttigieg, 37, was first elected mayor of South Bend, Indiana in 2011, making him the youngest mayor of a US city with at least 100,000 residents. He was re-elected to the post in 2014 with a whopping 80% of the vote. Buttigieg is openly gay, meaning he will become the first openly gay choice of a major political party if he wins the Democratic Party’s nomination.
Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has endorsed his candidature, saying he is proud that Buttigieg is his friend and that he values his Maltese heritage.
Rest in peace
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