George Ignatius Brizan, CMG,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(31 October 1942 – 18 February 2012) was a Grenadian politician who served as

Prime Minister of Grenada This is a list of heads of government of Grenada, from the establishment of the office of Chief Minister in 1960 to the present day. The Prime Minister appoints the Cabinet of Grenada. Heads of government before the 1974 independence Chief m ...

for four months in 1995. He moved to the top post in February, upon the resignation of

Nicholas Brathwaite Sir Nicholas Alexander Brathwaite OBE (8 July 1925 – 28 October 2016) was the head of government of Grenada for two periods, first as Chairman of the Interim Advisory Council (1983 to 1984) established after the United States invasion of Grena ...

, and remained in office until

Keith Mitchell Keith Claudius Mitchell (born 12 November 1946) is a Grenadian politician who served as Prime Minister of Grenada from 1995 to 2008 and from 2013 to 2022. He is the longest-serving Prime Minister in Grenadian history, holding the office for more ...

was inaugurated on 22 June.

Life and career

Following studies in Economics, History and Education, George Brizan began public service as a teacher at the venerable

Grenada Boys' Secondary School The Grenada Boys' Secondary School (GBSS) is a secondary school in the island of Grenada. Origins The Grenada Boys’ Secondary School, initially known as the St. George's Grammar School officially, opened on 2 February 1885, at Mrs. Grey's prem ...

(GBSS) and later as vice-principal of the Institute for Further Education (IFE), one of the predecessor institutions to the T.A. Marryshow Community College ("TAMCC"). On several occasions, Brizan was called upon by governments to serve in various capacities particularly in the areas of

trade and development Trade can be a key factor in economic development. The prudent use of trade can boost a country's development and create absolute gains for the trading partners involved. Trade has been touted as an important tool in the path to development by prom ...

. At various times in his long and illustrious career, Brizan served as a Trade Union leader, Economics, History and Education Lecturer and even a Sports Announcer/Commentator in the island's annual inter-collegiate track and field competition, popularly known as "Intercol." Brizan had the distinction of working for or consulting with every Grenada government since the late 1960s. and when he became a consultant in the Ministry of Finance in the Keith Mitchell administration, he became and remains to this day the only former Prime Minister in the Caribbean to work for or serve in a successor government. A prolific author, Brizan authored one of the seminal works on Grenada's history, Grenada: Island of Conflict. Brizan was instrumental in guiding and serving as a role model for hundreds of Grenadian students over the years. Indeed, it was not uncommon for students to declare a desire to be a "Brizan" (i.e. Economist/Historian) as their career goal. That to this day Economics remains one of the most popular courses of study for Grenadian students is a testament to Brizan's influence. Brizan formed and led the National Democratic Party, which later merged with the Grenada National Party (led by

Herbert Blaize Herbert Augustus Blaize PC (26 February 1918 – 19 December 1989) was a Grenadian politician and leader of the Grenada National Party. When Grenada was still a British Crown Colony he served as the first Chief Minister from 1960 to 1961, ...

) and the Grenada Democratic Movement (led by Dr. Francis Alexis) in August 1984 to create The New National Party (NNP).''Political Parties of the World'' (6th edition, 2005), ed. Bogdan Szajkowski, page 265. In April 1987, Brizan went into opposition and founded the National Democratic Congress (NDC). He was the

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

in the

House of Representatives of Grenada The Parliament of Grenada is composed of the monarch and two chambers: Senate and the House of Representatives. It operates from the New Parliament Building in St. George's. Structure Parliament consists of the King, represented by the Gove ...

from 1987 to 1990. He was subsequently succeeded as NDC leader by

. Braithwaite became Prime Minister following the NDC victory in the 1990 election, and Brizan served in Braithwaite's Cabinet as

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

before being moved to the post of Minister of Agriculture on 27 April 1992. In both of these positions, he additionally held the portfolios of Trade, Industry, Production and Energy. After Braithwaite resigned from the party leadership in July 1994, Brizan was elected as NDC leader at a party convention on 4 September 1994. He then became Prime Minister upon Brathwaite's resignation from that position on 1 February 1995. In addition to serving as Prime Minister, he took responsibility for the portfolios of External and National Security, Home Affairs, Agriculture, and Personnel and Management. The NDC was beaten in the June 1995 general election, and Brizan resigned from the party leadership and active, front-line politics after the NDC suffered a more severe defeat in the January 1999 general election, failing to win any seats. Brizan became again the

in the

for the term from 1995 to 1999. He remained a highly sought-after Economic and Politics expert although he considered himself semi-retired due to pressing health issues. He was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours. Brizan died at the General Hospital in St. George's, Grenada, on 18 February 2012, aged 69. He was given a state funeral and today rests in St. George's Centre Cemetery, not far from Presentation Brothers' College, one of his alma maters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brizan, George 1942 births 2012 deaths University of the West Indies alumni University of Calgary alumni Prime Ministers of Grenada Finance ministers of Grenada Members of the House of Representatives of Grenada National Democratic Congress (Grenada) politicians New National Party (Grenada) politicians Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Deaths from diabetes People from Saint David Parish, Grenada 20th-century Grenadian politicians