Donald Keith "D.K." Duncan, CD, (1940 – 17 September 2020) was a Jamaican dental surgeon and politician, representing the

People's National Party The People's National Party (PNP) (PNP; ) is a Social democracy, social democratic List of political parties in Jamaica, political party in Jamaica, founded in 1938 by Norman Manley, Norman Washington Manley who served as party president unti ...

(PNP). He served as Minister of National Mobilization & Human Resource Development (1977–1980).

Early life and education

Duncan was born in 1940 in

Brown's Town Brown's Town is one of the principal towns in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica, St. Ann Parish, Jamaica.Brown's Tow ...

, St. Ann. He attended Jamaica College in the 1950s.

Dental career

Duncan attended

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

where he obtained a degree in dentistry in 1965. He operated private dental practices in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

and in

Brown's Town Brown's Town is one of the principal towns in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica, St. Ann Parish, Jamaica.Brown's Tow ...

Political career

Duncan became National Organiser for the

in 1972 before being elevated to the position of General Secretary in June 1974, succeeding Kenneth Chin-Onn. He first ran for elected office in December 1976 when he won the general election from the St. Andrew East Central constituency, polling 9,301 votes to the JLP's Ashley Williams (4,209). He was appointed Minister of Mobilization in January 1977 and served in that post until 1980. Although the PNP lost the 1980 general election, Duncan was returned to Parliament from the constituency, but lost the seat when the PNP decided not to contest the 1983 election. After 1983, Duncan returned to his dental practice. He was briefly affiliated with the New Beginnings Movement political pressure group in the 1990s. In 1996, Duncan joined the

Bruce Golding Orette Bruce Golding (born 5 December 1947) is a former Jamaican politician who served as eighth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 11 September 2007 to 23 October 2011. He is a member of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), which he led from 2005 to ...

-led National Democratic Movement. He remained a member until his return to the PNP in 2007. Duncan contested the 2007 general election on behalf of the PNP and was elected from the Hanover Eastern constituency. He went on to serve two terms in Parliament. Duncan retired from representational politics in 2016. Duncan served as a member of the former Electoral Advisory Committee (1981–1982) and subsequently as a member of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) from 2010 to 2014.

Honors and awards

* In 2019, Duncan was conferred with the

Order of Distinction The Order of Distinction (OD) is a national order in the Jamaican honours system. It is the sixth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament (''The National Honours and Awards Ac ...

, Commander class, for services to the Electoral Commission of Jamaica.

Personal life and death

Duncan was first married to Joan Rennals, whom he met at

in the 1960s. He then married Grace Verona Powe in December 1976. She died on 10 September 2010. Duncan then married

Beverley Manley Beverley Lois Anderson-Manley (born 8 November 1941) is a Jamaican public figure and Former First Lady of Jamaica between 1972 and 1980. In the 1970s, she emerged as a leader in women's rights advocacy, leading a campaign for a maternity leave. ...

(née Anderson) on 21 January 2012. Duncan has 8 children: Keith Duncan, Donna Duncan-Scott, Patricia Duncan-Sutherland, Dawn Duncan, Imani Duncan-Price, Josina Duncan and David Duncan. Duncan tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

on 30 August 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Jamaica and was admitted to hospital. He died from complications of COVID-19 at the University Hospital of the West Indies,

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

, on 17 September 2020, aged 80.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Donald Keith 1940 births 2020 deaths Date of birth missing Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Jamaica People from Saint Ann Parish Government ministers of Jamaica People's National Party (Jamaica) politicians Members of the House of Representatives of Jamaica McGill University alumni Jamaican dentists People educated at Jamaica College