Hammer DeRoburt; First President of Nauru, South Pacific Island

Hammer DeRoburt, the first president of the tiny, rich South Pacific republic of Nauru, has died at the age of 69.

In a statement issued in Melbourne, Nauru President Bernard Dowiyogo said DeRoburt died Wednesday in St. Andrew’s Hospital. The cause of death was not given, but the statement said he had been in poor health for several years.

DeRoburt was elected president in 1968 when the island just south of the Equator became independent after being a U.N. trust territory administered by Australia. He held the office until 1976, was reelected in 1987 and resigned in 1989 after a no-confidence vote.