predecessor
nounUK /ˈpriː.dɪ.ses.ər/
US /ˈpred.ə.ses.ɚ/
A predecessor is the person who had a job or place before someone else.
The new principal thanked her predecessor for all his hard work.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A thing that came before another thing and was replaced by it.
This phone is much faster than its predecessor.
3. An ancestor or family member from long ago.
He traced his predecessors back to a small village in Ireland.
4. Something that came earlier and helped lead to what exists now.
The old steam engine was the predecessor of the modern train.