Sir James Fitz-Allen Mitchell (15 May 1931 – 23 November 2021) was a Vincentian politician who served as the

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Prime Minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, sometimes known simply as Saint Vincent or SVG, is an island country in the eastern Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies, at the south ...

from 1984 to 2000 and as the

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of Saint Vincent from 1972 to 1974. He founded the New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1975, and served as its president until 2000.

Early life

Mitchell was born in

Bequia Bequia ( or ) is the largest island in the Grenadines at . It is part of the country of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and is approximately from the nation's capital, Kingstown, on the main island, Saint Vincent. Bequia means 'island of th ...

on 15 May 1931. He was the oldest of four children born to Captain Reginald and Lois Mitchell. Reginald was lost at sea during a January 1940 voyage in the

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. Lois remarried Alfred Baynes of

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...

, leaving the children with their paternal grandmother Sarah. Some time after Mitchell left Bequia to enter St. Vincent Grammar School, his grandmother died; his younger siblings then joined their mother in

. After studying for three years at the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture in Trinidad and Tobago, Mitchell entered the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

in 1954. He graduated with 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 agriculture in 1955, majoring in Plant Science, and continued for one year of

graduate studies Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachel ...

. After graduation, Mitchell worked as an agricultural research officer for the government in Saint Vincent and Saint Lucia, then joined the Ministry of Overseas Development in

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as a scientific information officer. While in London, he married Patricia Mae Parker in 1965; they had three daughters.

Political career

Mitchell initially entered politics in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

by winning a legislative seat as a candidate of the

Saint Vincent Labour Party The Saint Vincent Labour Party was a social democratic political party in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from 1955 to 1994. It was the ruling party from 1967 to 1972 and again from 1974 until 1984. History The party was established in 1955. Nohle ...

. He was the Minister of Agriculture from

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

to 1972. In that year, Mitchell resigned from Labour and won

re-election The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be a ...

as an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

. He then became Premier with the support of the People's Political Party (PPP), serving from 1972 until 1974. After PPP leader Ebenezer Joshua withdrew his party's support, Mitchell formed the Mitchell/Sylvester Faction together with former PPP ministers Othniel Sylvester, Alphonso Dennie, and others. Although Mitchell was the only successful Faction candidate in

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

, they reorganized and founded the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

(NDP) in 1975. Mitchell and the NDP became the main parliamentary opposition. He was appointed

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

from November 1982 to December 1983. He served until the NDP's victory in the 1984 elections. Mitchell became Prime Minister,

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 ...

and Foreign Affairs in July 1984 and was re-elected for a fourth successive term when his Party scored an 8–7 victory in the 1998 parliamentary elections. Mitchell retired as Prime Minister and NDP President in 2000 but stayed on as Senior Minister until 2001. Mitchell was also foreign minister from 1984 until 1992 and a Privy Councillor beginning in 1985. He served as the Chairman of the OECS Authority in 1988, 1995, and 1996; at the 1995 meeting, Mitchell advocated for the inclusion of

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

. Mitchell led the Commonwealth observer team at the election in Lesotho in 2002. He also was a member of the InterAction Council.

Political positions

Mitchell endorsed the Grenadines becoming a separate nation from St. Vincent: in a 1984 election campaign speech, he opined that the incumbent government was continuing the colonial policy of favouring St. Vincent. He also supported greater political integration of Caribbean countries. In 1987, at the eighth conference of heads of government in the

Caribbean Community The Caribbean Community (abbreviated as CARICOM or CC) is an intergovernmental organisation that is a Political association, political and economic union of 15 member states (14 nation-states and one dependency) and five associated members thro ...

, he stated, "As I see it, we must have one flag, one anthem and freedom of movement of people, services and capital."

Role as agronomist

During his time as prime minister, Mitchell co-founded the Caribbean Agricultural Regional Development Institute (CARDI). In his opening address at the 1st Caribbean Agricultural Technology Conference (CATC) held in St Vincent and the Grenadines in 2000, Mitchell emphasized that "agriculture must thrive" and overcome regional challenges. Using the regional banana industry as an example, he pointed out that disruptions would affect not only farmers, but also related sectors such as transportation. To aid the industry, Mitchell outlined his government's policies to promote crop diversification as well as land redistribution to increase production. Mitchell wrote on a variety of issues in agriculture and Caribbean society, included the topics of fungicide usage and land reform. His autobiography ''Beyond the Islands'' was published by Macmillan Caribbean in 2006.

Illness, death and tributes

On 31 October 2021, Mitchell was admitted to Milton Cato Memorial Hospital in Saint Vincent due to multiple illnesses, including

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, kidney failure and an

enlarged prostate Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also called prostate enlargement, is a noncancerous increase in size of the prostate gland. Symptoms may include frequent urination, trouble starting to urinate, weak stream, inability to urinate, or lo ...

. He was later diagnosed with

dengue fever Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease caused by dengue virus, prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas. Asymptomatic infections are uncommon, mild cases happen frequently; if symptoms appear, they typically begin 3 to 14 days after i ...

. He was then flown to

Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Bridgetown The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) is located in Barbados' capital city Bridgetown, which is located in the parish of Saint Michael. The hospital is the main General Hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatm ...

in Barbados for advanced medical treatment on 3 November 2021, and was additionally diagnosed with

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

. On 18 November 2021, he was transferred to Port Elizabeth Hospital in Bequia. He died there five days later, on 23 November, at the age of 90. Mitchell was the last living parliamentarian to have served at independence in 1979. The government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines announced three days of national mourning through 25 November, with flags flown at

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. A

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will be held at a later date. The OECS flag was flown at half-mast, while CARICOM and other regional leaders paid tributes to Mitchell. Sir Kennedy Simmonds, former Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, recollected their collaborations for Caribbean integration.

References