Arlington Butler Explained

Arlington Butler
Office:Speaker of the House of Assembly of the Bahamas
Primeminister:Lynden Pindling
Term Start:18 October 1972
Term End:20 October 1977
Predecessor:Alvin Rudolph Braynen
Successor:Clifford Darling
Birth Date:2 January 1938
Death Date:9 November 2017
Party:Progressive Liberal Party

Sir Arlington Griffith Butler (2 January 1938 – 9 November 2017) was a Bahamian teacher, lawyer, and politician.

He was born on 2 January 1938 in Nassau. Butler attended the Bahamas Teachers College, the University of Nottingham, and the Longborough Training College. He was an administrator at Government High School and Prince William High School. Butler became a lawyer in 1974.[1]

He first ran for a seat on the House of Assembly representing the Progressive Liberal Party in 1967, and lost. Butler contested the next year's elections, and won. He was reelected in 1972 and served as Speaker of the House of Assembly from that year until 1977, when he left the PLP. Butler launched an unsuccessful independent campaign in 1977, and later joined the Free National Movement. He ran under the FNM banner in 1982 and 1987, but never returned to parliament. Butler was Minister of Public Safety from 1992 to 1995[2] under the Hubert Ingraham government. He was named ambassador to the United States from 1996 to 1997. Outside of politics, Bulter was the longtime president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee.[3]

Butler died at the Princess Margaret Hospital on 9 November 2017, aged 79.[1] [3]

Notes and References

  1. News: Dorsett. Sancheska. Sir Arlington Butler Dies Age 79. 13 November 2017. The Tribune. 10 November 2017.
  2. Web site: Past and Present Ministers MNS and Bios . www.bahamas.gov.bs . Government of The Bahamas.
  3. News: Dames. Candia. Sir Arlington Butler dies at 79. 13 November 2017. The Nassau Guardian. 10 November 2017. 13 November 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171113171339/https://thenassauguardian.com/2017/11/10/sir-arlington-butler-dies-79/. dead.