Charlesworth Theophilus Samuel (died January 2008) was an

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Ba ...

n politician.

Early life

Born in

Swetes Swetes is located in Saint Paul Parish on the island of Antigua, in Antigua and Barbuda. Geography It is the sixth largest town in Antigua and Barbuda. Swetes is located in central Antigua, to the north of Liberta on the road to the town of ...

, Samuel attended the All Saint’s Government School. After graduating he worked as a

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is c ...

trainee for the Public Works Department. He began teaching in 1957 at the Swetes Government School and, in 1964, was appointed

headmaster A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. In som ...

at the John Hughes Primary School and also Jennings Secondary School . He married on 20 December 1962. In 1972, he received a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which rel ...

from the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

. He became president of the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers in 1974 and served in that capacity until 1976. He later worked as an

underwriter Underwriting (UW) services are provided by some large financial institutions, such as banks, insurance companies and investment houses, whereby they guarantee payment in case of damage or financial loss and accept the financial risk for liabili ...

for the Life of Barbados Insurance Company. After graduating from the Holborn Law School in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

with a

LLB Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

and training at the

Hugh Wooding Law School The Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) is a law school in Trinidad and Tobago. History Named for Trinidad and Tobago jurist and politician Hugh Wooding, HWLS is one of three law schools empowered by the (Caribbean) Council of Legal Education to award ...

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

, Samuel established a legal practice. He was also a president of the Antigua Chapter of

Gideons International Gideons International is an Evangelical Christian association for men founded in 1899 in Janesville, Wisconsin. The Gideons' primary activity, along with their wives in the Auxiliary, is "encouraging each other to do the work of the Lord, focusin ...

Political career

Samuel was elected to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

for the

Progressive Labour Movement The Progressive Labour Movement was a major centre-left political party in Antigua and Barbuda and, until the 2000s, was the only political party to have defeated the Antigua Labour Party in an election. History The party was established in 196 ...

in the 1976 general election, and was reelected in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Syst ...

. After losing his seat in the 1984 election, he became the

opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...

leader in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

. He was victorious in the 1994 general election and represented the All Saints East and St. Luke constituency for the United Progressive Party, becoming Minister of Agriculture following the 2004 election, from then until his death. He had announced prior to his death that he would not contest the next election. At the time of his death, Samuel was one of only two sitting

Members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members oft ...

(the other being Robin Yearwood) who were present at the first session of the

Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda The Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda consists of the King of Antigua and Barbuda, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Parliament as a whole is charged with certain responsibilities and is given special powers and privileges in ord ...

in 1981. He was also a member of the independence delegation that visited

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in December 1980 to discuss Antigua and Barbuda's constitution.

Death

Samuel was reported missing by his family on 30 January 2008, having left home the previous day and failed to return. His body was found on the morning of 31 January on Shell Beach, near St. John's, by a civilian search party. Authorities have not offered a cause of death and are investigating. He was survived by his wife, five children, and ten grandchildren. In response to Samuel's death,

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Baldwin Spencer ordered

national flags A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours an ...

to be displayed at

half-staff Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a salu ...

and announced an "official period of mourning" starting on 1 February. A

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

will be held at the

Antigua Recreation Ground Antigua Recreation Ground is the national stadium of Antigua and Barbuda. It is located in St. John's, on the island of Antigua. The ground has been used by the West Indies cricket team and Antigua and Barbuda national football team. It had Te ...

. According to

Gaston Browne Gaston Alfonso Browne (born 9 February 1967) is the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda. He has been its leader since 2014. Before entering politics, he was a banker and businessman. Early life Browne was born on 9 February 1967, days before ...

, chairman of the

Antigua Labour Party The Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) is a political party in Antigua and Barbuda. The current leader of the party is Gaston Browne, who serves as the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. The party had previously been led by Lester Bird ...

, Samuel "was one of the Members of Parliament who enjoyed the full respect from both sides of the political aisle". Leon Chaku Symister, chairman of the governing United Progressive Party, noted: "Mr Samuel has been a very active member of our party. He was a person who participated quite often and his experience and knowledge was quite an asset to the party."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samuel, Charlesworth 2008 deaths Year of birth uncertain Antigua and Barbuda evangelicals Antigua and Barbuda educators Antigua and Barbuda lawyers Members of the House of Representatives (Antigua and Barbuda) Members of the Senate (Antigua and Barbuda) University of the West Indies alumni Progressive Labour Movement politicians United Progressive Party (Antigua and Barbuda) politicians People from Saint Paul Parish, Antigua Agriculture ministers of Antigua and Barbuda