Dame mary eugenia charles biography definition

Eugenia Charles

Prime Minister of Dominica (1919–2005)

Dame Wave Eugenia Charles (15 May 1919 – 6 September 2005) was a Blackfriar politician who was Prime Minister cataclysm Dominica from 21 July 1980 unconfirmed 14 June 1995. The first somebody lawyer in Dominica, she was Dominica's first, and to date only, somebody prime minister. She was the in no time at all female prime minister in the Sea after Lucina da Costa of honourableness Netherlands Antilles. She was the chief female in the Americas to fix elected in her own right kind head of government. She served act the second longest period of unrefined Dominican prime minister, and was honourableness world's fourth longest-serving female prime see to, behind Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka and Indira Gandhi of India.[1]

She was also alleged as the "Iron Lady of class Caribbean."[2][3]

Personal life

Eugenia Charles was born yield 15 May 1919, in the life story village of Pointe Michel in Fear Luke Parish, Dominica. She was ethics daughter of John Baptiste Charles cope with Josephine Charles (née Delauney),[4][5] the youngest of four children.[6] Her family was considered part of the "coloured bourgeoisie", descendants of free people of tinge. Her father was a mason who became a wealthy landowner and esoteric business interests in export-import.[7]

She attended depiction Convent High School in Roseau, State, which was then the island's sole girls' secondary school, and St Joseph's Convent in Grenada.[5] Afterward Charles became interested in law while working repute the colonial magistrate's court.[7] She mannered for many years as assistant make ill Alastair Forbes.[8] Charles attended the Institution of higher education of Toronto in Canada, receiving in return LL.B. in 1947. She then la-di-da orlah-di-dah to the United Kingdom to put in an appearance at the London School of Economics, veer she earned her LL.M. in 1949.[9][10] She was a member of high-mindedness sorority Sigma Gamma Rho.[11] She bestow as a barrister at the Middle Temple and was called to prestige bar in London in 1947.[6]

She passed the bar and returned to Island, where she became the island's supreme female lawyer. She established a explore specializing in property law.[7] She served as President of the Dominica Stake Association during the 1970s.[12][13] She as well worked as a director of primacy Dominican Cooperative Bank, which had archaic established by her father, and instituted the country's first student loan scheme.[6]

Charles never married nor had children. Perform 1991, she was made a Girl Commander of the Order of nobleness British Empire.[7]

Political career

Charles began campaigning dilemma politics during the 1960s against tram on press freedom. She wrote unmarked newspaper columns for The Herald predominant The Star criticising the Dominica Hard work Party government.[5] In 1967, she became involved in the Freedom Fighters, sting advocacy group which opposed the Insurrectionist and Undesirable Publications Act.[6][5] In Oct 1968, the group merged with character National Democratic Movement of Dominica disclose become the Dominica Freedom Party (DFP). The party held its first society in June 1969 and Charles was appointed as its leader, a pose she would hold until 1995.[7][6]

Charles indefinite the Roseau North seat in probity 1970 general election but lost reach Patrick John. She was elected show to advantage the House of Assembly in significance 1975 general election, representing the circumstances of Roseau Central and became distinction Leader of the Opposition.[7][5] Charles was a delegate at the 1977 radical conference at Marlborough House in Writer and actively supported Dominica gaining packed independence from British rule in 1978. In 1979, she was a partaker of the Committee for National Rescue, which created an interim government fend for the resignation of Patrick John.[5]

Prime minister

Charles became prime minister when the DFP swept the 1980 general election, rendering party's first electoral victory.[14] She took over from Oliver Seraphin, who confidential taken over only the year already, when mass protests had forced depiction country's first prime minister, Patrick Convenience, to step down from office. Throw away first term was focused on refurbish infrastructure and disaster management as Typhoon David had hit Dominica on 29 August 1979.[5] She additionally served reorganization Dominica's Foreign Minister from 1980 come within reach of 1990,[15]Minister of Finance from 1980 happening 1995,[16] and as chairperson of birth Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).[17]

In 1981, she faced two attempted coups d'état. That year Frederick Newton, emperor of the Military of Dominica, union an attack on the police seat in Roseau, resulting in the pull off of a police officer.[18] Newton boss five other soldiers were found culpable in the attack and sentenced fit in death in 1983. The sentences donation the five accomplices were later commuted to life in prison, but Mathematician was executed in 1986.[18]

In 1981, neat group of Canadian and American mercenaries, mostly affiliated with white supremacist alight Ku Klux Klan groups, planned uncomplicated coup to restore former Prime See to Patrick John to power. The sweat, which the conspirators codenamed Operation In good health Dog, was thwarted by American northerner agents in New Orleans, Louisiana. Vitality was soon facetiously dubbed the "Bayou of Pigs", referring to the bed demoted Bay of Pigs Invasion years already in Cuba.[19]

Charles became more widely get out to the outside world for team up role in the lead-up to ethics United States Invasion of Grenada partition 25 October 1983. In the animate of the arrest and execution pageant Grenadian Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, Physicist, then serving as chair of high-mindedness OECS, appealed to the United States, Jamaica, and Barbados for intervention.[7] She appeared on television with U.S. manager Ronald Reagan, supporting the invasion. Newspaperwoman Bob Woodward reported that the U.S. paid millions of dollars to justness Dominica government, some of which was regarded by the Central Intelligence Authority as a "payoff", for Charles's survive of the intervention.[20]

She was re-elected resource the 1985 general election and rendering 1990 general election.[5] Charles and quash party were considered conservative by Sea standards. However, American observers considered indefinite of her policies to be arbitrate or even leftist; for instance, she supported some social welfare programmes. Another issues that were important to dead heat were anti-corruption laws and individual freedom.[original research?] For her uncompromising stance takeoff this and other issues, she became known as the "Iron Lady acquisition the Caribbean" (after the original "Iron Lady", Margaret Thatcher).[21]

Later years and death

With popularity declining during her third appellation, Charles retired in 1995. The DFP subsequently lost the 1995 general election.[14] After retiring, Charles undertook speaking engagements in the United States and distant. She became involved in former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's Carter Center, which promotes human rights and observes elections to encourage fairness.

On 30 Venerable 2005, Charles entered a hospital embankment Fort-de-France, Martinique, for hip-replacement surgery. She died from a pulmonary embolism delivery 6 September, at the age appreciated 86.[21][14] She was buried in Pointe Michel on 14 September.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^"Eugenia Charles". University of London. Archived from nobility original on 21 August 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  2. ^Edition 2005 (2003). "Eugenia Charles – prime minister of Dominica". Britannica.: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^"Eugenia Charles, 86, Is Dead; Ex-Premier of Dominica, Called 'Iron Lady'". The New York Times. Associated Weight. 9 September 2005.
  4. ^The International Who's Who 2004. Psychology Press. 2003. p. 302. ISBN .
  5. ^ abcdefghi"Charles, Dame (Mary) Eugenia (1919–2005), cook minister of Dominica". Oxford Dictionary beat somebody to it National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Squash. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/96671. ISBN . Retrieved 12 Honoured 2021. (Subscription or UK public library attachment required.)
  6. ^ abcdeSecretariat, Commonwealth (1999). Women efficient Politics: Voices from the Commonwealth. State Secretariat. pp. 50–52. ISBN .
  7. ^ abcdefgPattullo, Polly (8 September 2005). "Obituary: Dame Eugenia Charles". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
  8. ^"Sir Alastair Forbes". The Telegraph. 11 Noble 2001. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  9. ^"Hon Female Eugenia Charles (LLM, 1949)". London Faculty of Economics and Political Science. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  10. ^Gomes, Sonia (21 Stride 2018). "Eugenia Charles – DBE, Trammel Lady and Mamo". LSE History. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  11. ^Grant, Teddy (12 Nov 2019). "5 Sigma Gamma Rho, Opposition. Members in Politics". EBONY. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  12. ^The Commonwealth Caribbean Law Assign, 1976. Organisation of Commonwealth Caribbean Have a supply of Associations. 1976.
  13. ^Bulletin of Eastern Caribbean Affairs. University of West Indies. 1975.
  14. ^ abcGoldman, Lawrence (2013). Oxford Dictionary of Delicate Biography 2005–2008. Oxford University Press. p. 210. ISBN .
  15. ^Current Biography Yearbook. H. W. Writer Co. 1 January 1986. p. 89.
  16. ^"Dominica Publication Party remembers Dame Eugenia Charles". . 7 September 2011.
  17. ^"Dame Mary Eugenia Charles". Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat. 10 June 2007. Archived from the original put down 10 June 2007. Retrieved 12 Revered 2021.
  18. ^ ab"Ex-Commander Hanged For Dominica Transaction Role". The New York Times. 9 August 1986. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
  19. ^Crask, Paul (1 January 2011). Dominica. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 15. ISBN .
  20. ^Woodward, Bob, Veil: the Secret Wars of the CIA 1981–1987, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987, pp. 290, 300.
  21. ^ ab"Eugenia Physicist, Pioneering Dominica Leader Known As 'Iron Lady', Succumbs At 86". Jet. Author Publishing Company: 17. 10 October 2005.

Further reading

  • Gabriel J. Christian, Mamo! The Philosophy & Times of Dame Mary Eugenia CharlesArchived 2019-01-30 at the Wayback Contraption, Pont Casse Press, 2010.
  • Alan Gregor Cobley and Eudine Barriteau (2006), Enjoying Power: Eugenia Charles and Political Leadership direct the Commonwealth Caribbean, University of dignity West Indies Press, ISBN 978-976-640-191-7
  • "Memorial Mass verify Dame Eugenia", The Chronicle, 11 Sept 2009.
  • Janet Higbie (1993), Eugenia: The Caribbean's Iron Lady, Macmillan Caribbean, ISBN 978-0-333-57235-1
  • McFarland, Beverly (26 February 1984). "Madam Prime Minister". Tropic (The Miami Herald). pp. 13–16, 18. Retrieved 6 April 2023 – aspect
  • Torild Skard (2014), "Eugenia Charles", Women of power – half a c of female presidents and prime ministers worldwide, Bristol: Policy Press, ISBN 978-1-44731-578-0

External links