---

• n  one who precedes you in time (as in holding a position or office)
• n  something that precedes and indicates the approach of something or someone

• These minor differences aside, Tyson, 47, is the undisputed inheritor of his late predecessor's mantle as the great explainer of all things cosmic.
• Timing matters in history, and Putin has had the benefit of high oil prices and the contrast with his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin.
• Khameini lacks the charisma of his predecessor, however, and received a rude awakening in 1997 when 69 percent of the electorate rejected his nominee .

• harbinger
• forerunner
• herald
• precursor

News & Articles

---

• Iran's President-Elect Meets With Caution In West
  Hasan Rowhani is likely to be friendlier than his predecessor, but the U.S. and Israel have reacted with caution knowing that as president he will have little control over Iran's nuclear program.
  June 16, 2013 - NPR
• N. Korea accuses S. Korea of 'confrontation'
  SEOUL, June 15 (UPI) -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye has maintained the same "policy of confrontation" as her predecessor, North Korea said Saturday.
  June 15, 2013 - UPI
• Mayor, predecessor move ahead in Tulsa race
  Tulsa's mayor will face off against his City Hall predecessor in the city's first nonpartisan mayoral election in November.
  June 12, 2013 - KWTV News9

Quotes

---

• David Petraeus in Washington Post
  Upfront I also want to recognize the enormous contributions of my predecessor, Gen. Stanley McChrystal,Petraeus said.
• George Osborne in The Press Association
  He pulled no punches about the state he said the last government left the economy in, saying: "This is an emergency Budget, so let me speak plainly about the emergency that we face. The coalition Government has inherited from its predecessor the...
• Jimmy Carter in Forbes
  I relished his sound advice,Carter said. "I want to thank my predecessor for all he did to heal our land."