Eileen Parsons

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

who served as a member of the

House of Assembly of the British Virgin Islands The House of Assembly of the British Virgin Islands, until 2007 known as the Legislative Council, has 15 members: 13 directly elected for four-year terms (nine in single-seat constituencies and four "at large"), and two ''ex officio'' member ...

, including as Minister for of Health, Education and Welfare, Deputy Premier and Deputy Speaker during the course of her political career.

Early life and career

Eileen Parsons was born to Virginia Parrott Fahie and James Elmore Stevens on

Tortola Tortola () is the largest and most populated island of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. It has a surface area of with a total population of 23,908, with 9,400 residents in ...

in the

British Virgin Islands The British Virgin Islands (BVI), officially the Virgin Islands, are a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, to the east of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands and north-west ...

. She attended school on the island, and in

Saint Thomas, Barbados The landlocked parish of Saint Thomas ("St. Thomas") is found in the centre of Barbados. It is one of only two landlocked parishes in the island, the other being Saint George to the south. Saint Thomas is represented in the House of Assembly of B ...

, before travelling to

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

where she went to the Escuela Vocational School to study dressmaking. At the

State University of New York at Oswego State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego or Oswego State) is a public university in Oswego, New York. It has a total student population of 6,756 and the campus size is 700 acres. SUNY Oswego offers more than 120 undergraduate, graduate ...

, she studied industrial arts. Parsons also trained at the Leeward Islands Teachers College and took an

associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

at the

University of the Virgin Islands The University of the Virgin Islands (or UVI) is a public historically black land-grant university in the United States Virgin Islands. History UVI was founded as the College of the Virgin Islands on March 16, 1962. In 1986, it officially becam ...

. At the

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...

, she studied for a

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

in tourism promotion. She worked as a teacher in the British Virgin Islands between 1959–65, then for the next thirty years as the secretary to the Commissioner of Education for the Islands, along with the Dean of the University of the Virgin Islands, and the Tourist Board. She sought to move politics, standing for election to the

in 1983, 1986 and 1990. In 1995 she successfully stood as an independent candidate, being elected for the first time. This made her the second woman to enter the House of Assembly. When she became Minister of Health, Education and Welfare in 1997, this was the first time that a woman had been appointed to a ministerial post in the British Virgin Islands. This was followed by an appointment as Deputy Premier two years later. Those posts were revoked in 2000, and she later was named as Deputy Speaker for the House of Assembly. Parsons was named an

in Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

2013 Birthday Honours The 2013 Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of t ...

list for "services to education and the community". By 2014, she was considered a cultural icon on the island. That year she chaired a committee to recognise those who had contributed to the BVI. Her views continued to be sought after she had retired from politics, with her expressing a lack of interest in the prospect of the British Virgin Islands' potential independence from the United Kingdom.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, Eileen Living people People from Tortola Government ministers of the British Virgin Islands Members of the House of Assembly of the British Virgin Islands University of the Virgin Islands alumni Florida International University alumni National Democratic Party (British Virgin Islands) politicians State University of New York at Oswego alumni Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century British women politicians 21st-century British women politicians Year of birth missing (living people) Women government ministers of the British Virgin Islands Officers_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire