predecessor

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
predecessor/ˈpriːdɪsesə(r)/

▶noun

• 1 a person who held a job or office before the current holder.

• 2 a thing that has been followed or replaced by another.

– origin ME: from late L. praedecessor, from L. prae ‘beforehand’ + decessor ‘retiring officer’.