Eric Gairy
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Sir Eric Matthew Gairy PC (18 February 192223 August 1997) was the first Prime Minister of
Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...
, serving from his country's independence in 1974 until his overthrow in a coup by
Maurice Bishop Maurice Rupert Bishop (29 May 1944 – 19 October 1983) was a Grenada, Grenadian revolutionary and the leader of the New Jewel Movement (NJM) – a Marxist–Leninist party that sought to prioritise socio-economic development, education and bla ...
in 1979. Gairy also served as head of government in pre-independence Grenada as Chief Minister from 1961 to 1962 and as Premier from 1967 to 1974.


Early days in Grenada: 1922–41

Eric Matthew Gairy was the son of Douglas and Theresa Gairy, and was born 18 February 1922 in Dunfermline, St. Andrew's Parish on the eastern side of the island near Grenville, Grenada. He attended the LaFillette School and then the St. Andrews Roman Catholic Senior School. He was also an acolyte at St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church, next door to the school. He became a primary "student-teacher" in the LaFillette School from January 1939 to September 1941. He moved to
Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...
where he worked several years in the oil refinery of the Lago Oil and Transport Company.


Trade union leader and "Sky Red": 1950–51

Eric Gairy returned to Grenada in December, 1949 to enter trade unionism and politics. In 1950 he founded the Grenada Manual & Mental Workers Union (GMMWU) and was deeply involved in encouraging the 1951
general strike A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...
for better working conditions. This sparked great unrest - so many buildings were set ablaze that the disturbances became known as the "Sky Red" days - and the British authorities had to call in military reinforcements to help regain control of the situation. Gairy himself was taken into custody.


Radical political leader: 1951–61

In 1950, Gairy founded the Grenada United Labour Party. He was elected as a representative of the Colony of Grenada's Legislative Council in 1951, 1954, and 1957. He was banned from political activities and lost his seat between 1957 and 1961.


Chief Minister: 1961–62

Gairy was returned in a by-election in July 1961 and became Chief Minister, as his party held a majority in the Legislative Council since winning the 1961 general election. He served as Chief Minister and
Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...
from August 1961 until April 1962 when he was dismissed by the British colonial Governor for the questionable use of state funds.


Leader of the Opposition: 1962–67

Gairy's party lost the 1962 general election and he served as leader of the opposition between 1962 and 1967.


Premier: 1967–74


First administration: 1967–72

Gairy won the 1967 general election and formed a new administration as Premier of the Associated State of Grenada.


Miss World controversy

In the 1970 Miss World pageant in London, controversy followed after Grenadian contestant Jennifer Hosten won (the first-ever black Miss World), and another black contestant from
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
placed second. Since Gairy was on the judging panel, inevitably there were many accusations that the contest had been rigged. The
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
and newspapers received numerous protests about the result, and accusations of racism were made by all sides. Four of the nine judges had given first-place votes to Miss Sweden, Marjorie Christel Johansson, while Miss Grenada received only two firsts, yet Johansson finished fourth. Some of the audience gathered in the street outside
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
after the contest and chanted "Swe-den, Swe-den". Four days later, organising director Julia Morley resigned because of the intense pressure from the newspapers. Years later, Johansson was reported as saying that she had been cheated out of the title.


Second administration 1972–74

Gairy won the 1972 general election and formed a new administration as Premier of the Associated State of Grenada.


Prime Minister: 1974–79


First administration: 1974–76

Gairy became the first
Prime Minister of Grenada This is a list of Head of government, heads of government of Grenada, from the establishment of the office of the chief minister in 1960 to the present day. List of officeholders ;Political parties ;Other affiliations ;Symbols Died in ...
when Grenada achieved independence from
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
on 7 February 1974. Gairy's term in office coincided with civil strife in Grenada. The political environment was highly charged, with Gairy's secret police, the Mongoose Gang, terrorizing opponents.


Second administration: 1976–79

Gairy's party narrowly won the 1976 election but the result was declared fraudulent by international observers due to intimidation of the opposition by the Mongoose Gang. On 27 November 1978, Eric Gairy led a group including scientists and an astronaut in addressing the United Nations on the subject of UFOs. US citizens helped to support the overthrow of Eric Gairy with solidarity movements. One such solidarity movement existed in San Antonio, Texas and was headed by African-American activist Mario Marcel Salas, who was active in his overthrow on a number of levels. Civil strife took the form of street violence between government supporters, including the Mongoose Gang, and gangs organized by the
New Jewel Movement The New Joint Endeavor for Welfare, Education, and Liberation, or New JEWEL Movement (NJM), was a Marxist–Leninist vanguard party in the Caribbean island nation of Grenada that was led by Maurice Bishop. Established in 1973, the NJM issued ...
(NJM). In the late 1970s, the NJM began planning to overthrow the government, with party members receiving military training outside of Grenada. In 1979, a rumour circulated that Gairy would use the Gang to eliminate leaders of the New Jewel Movement while he was out of the country. In response, Bishop overthrew Gairy in March of that year while the latter was visiting the United States. On 13 March 1979, while Gairy was at the UN for further discussions on UFOs, the New Jewel Movement led by Maurice Bishop launched a bloodless coup and overthrew the government. Bishop suspended the constitution, and the New Jewel Movement ruled the country with mass support from the population until 1983. Anti-Gairy activity was carried out in the United States in support of the revolution to overthrow Gairy, including activists in San Antonio, Texas.


Exile in the United States: 1979–83

Gairy stayed in exile in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
until 1983, when the United States, backed by some Caribbean allies – notably, Dame
Eugenia Charles Dame Mary Eugenia Charles (15 May 1919 – 6 September 2005) was a Dominican politician who was Prime Minister of Dominica from 21 July 1980 until 14 June 1995. The first female lawyer in Dominica, she was Dominica's first, and to date only, fem ...
, Prime Minister of
Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...
and
Edward Seaga Edward Philip George Seaga ( ; 28 May 1930 – 28 May 2019) was a Jamaican politician and record producer. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Jamaica, from 1980 to 1989, and the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party from 1974 to 2005.
, Prime Minister of
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
– invaded to topple a military government which had overthrown and killed Bishop.


Return and final days: 1983–97

Gairy then returned to Grenada and campaigned in the elections of 1984, claiming to be a changed man. However, his party lost the elections, winning 36% of the popular vote but only a single seat in the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
. Attempts by Gairy and his party to return to power in
1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
and
1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
were also unsuccessful. On June 7, 1996, while Gairy was in Venezuela, he suffered a stroke and had to be hospitalized. The following year on August 23, he died at his home in Grand Anse, Grenada. He was 75.


See also

*
History of Grenada The history of Grenada in the Caribbean, part of the Lesser Antilles group of islands, covers a period from the earliest human settlements to the establishment of the contemporary nationstate of Grenada. First settled by Indigenous people of the ...
* Sir Eric Matthew Gairy Botanical Gardens


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gairy, Eric 1922 births 1997 deaths Members of the House of Representatives of Grenada Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Prime ministers of Grenada Finance ministers of Grenada Grenada United Labour Party politicians Knights Bachelor Grenadian Roman Catholics Leaders ousted by a coup People from Saint Andrew Parish, Grenada Ufologists Grenadian expatriates Expatriates in Aruba 20th-century Grenadian politicians