Henry de Boulay Forde explained

Honorific-Prefix:Sir
Henry de Boulay Forde
Honorific-Suffix:KC
Office:Leader of the Opposition
Termstart:1986
Termend:1989
Primeminister:Errol Barrow
Lloyd Erskine Sandiford
Successor:Richard Christopher Haynes
Termstart1:22 January 1991
Term End1:1 August 1993
Primeminister1:Lloyd Erskine Sandiford
Predecessor1:Richard Christopher Haynes
Successor1:Owen Arthur
Office2:Attorney-General of Barbados
Termstart2:1976
Termend2:1981
Predecessor2:George Moe
Successor2:Louis Tull
Office3:Minister of External Affairs
Termstart3:1976
Termend3:1981
Predecessor3:George Moe
Successor3:Louis Tull
Office4:Member of Parliament
for Christ Church West
Termstart4:9 September 1971
Termend4:1999
Predecessor4:Constituency created
Successor4:William F. Duguid
Birth Date:20 March 1933
Birth Place:Christ Church, Colony of Barbados
Party:Barbados Labour Party

Sir Henry de Boulay Forde (born 20 March 1933) is a Barbadian retired politician and lawyer who served as the Leader of the Opposition from 1986 to 1989 and from 1991 to 1993. He also served as leader of the Barbados Labour Party from 1986 to 1993 and as the Attorney-General of Barbados from 1976 to 1981.[1] [2]

Early life

Henry de Boulay Forde was born on 20 March 1933 on Water Street, Christ Church, Barbados to a working class family and attended Christ Church Boys’ Foundation School for his secondary education[1] and later attended Christ's College, Cambridge University for his law degree and was admited to the British and Barbadian Bar in 1959.[3]

Political career

Forde began his political career in the 1960s, having a hand in negotiations that led to Barbados's independence in 1966. After winning the Christ Church West seat in 1971, a seat he would hold for the next 30 years until 2003. He would then be appointed Minister of External Affairs and Attorney-General of Barbados in 1976, serving until 1981 in the Tom Adams administration. After Tom Adam's death, and Bernard St. John's premiership ended with the 1986 Barbadian general election he would assume leadership of the BLP in 1986 and the position as Leader of the Opposition until 1989 when Richard Christopher Haynes broke away from the then in-power Democratic Labour Party with some other DLP members, forming the National Democratic Party which became the second largest party in the House of Assembly of Barbados making Haynes the new leader of the opposition.[4] After the 1991 Barbadian general election he would then again become opposition leader until 1993, stepping down as BLP leader due to poor health.[1] Owen Arthur then succeeded him as party leader who would then go on to win the 1994 Barbadian general election.[5] [6]

In 1996, Forde would chair the commission inquiry, the Constitution Review Commission which reviewed the Constitution of Barbados in regards to preparing for Barbados to become a republic.[7] The commission held public hearings in Barbados and overseas. The commission reported back on 15 December 1998, and submitted its report to the then Governor-General, Sir Clifford Husbands. A Referendum Bill was introduced in Parliament and had its first reading on 10 October 2000. With the dissolution of Parliament just prior to the elections in 2003, the Referendum Bill was not carried over.[8] [9] Haynes would later retired from politics in 1999 but still continues to practice law.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: nationnews . 2016-11-20 . Bajan to de Bone: Smitten with politics from early age . 2024-02-12 . nationnews.com . en-US.
  2. Book: Barbados Energy Policy, Laws and Regulations Handbook Volume 1 . 227.
  3. Web site: Barbados Attorneys-at-Law Directory . 2024-02-13 . barbadosbarassociation.com.
  4. Web site: Barbados: parliamentary elections House of Assembly, 1991 . 2024-02-13 . archive.ipu.org.
  5. Web site: 11 February 2005 . Barbados Labour Party – news . 11 November 2009 . 3 November 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081103114819/http://blp.org.bb/news/34 . live .
  6. Web site: Bowen . Krystal Penny . August 22, 2021 . Road to a Republic... Barbados' transition . Barbados Advocate.
  7. https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/weather/barbados-on-its-way-to-becoming-republic-next-month-with-the-election-of-its-first-president/
  8. Web site: 11 February 2005 . Barbados Labour Party – news . 11 November 2009 . 3 November 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081103114819/http://blp.org.bb/news/34 . live .
  9. Web site: Bowen . Krystal Penny . August 22, 2021 . Road to a Republic... Barbados' transition . Barbados Advocate.