Sir Kendal George Lamon Isaacs, (23 July 1925 – 25 May 1996) was a notable Bahamian lawyer and politician. He served as

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

for much of the 1980s.

Biography

Born and raised in Nassau, Isaacs attended

Government High School A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

in Nassau where he was captain of Montague House. Isaacs served in the North Caribbean Force during World War II and then went to England to study law. He received a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...

, in 1949 and a Master of Arts in 1953 and was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales at the Middle Temple in 1946. Isaacs was an accomplished tennis player. In 1955, he and his nephew, Robert, were the third ranked men's doubles team in the American Tennis Association rankings. He was instrumental in the formation of the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association in 1961 and served as its first president until 1966. That same year, Isaacs was appointed Solicitor-General of the Bahamas; a post in which he served until 1963 when he became the country's Attorney-General. Isaacs took silk when he was made Queen's Counsel on 21 August 1968.https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/44668/page/9591 London Gazette, Issue 44668 Isaacs's first foray into politics came in 1965 when he was appointed to the Senate of the Bahamas. In June 1972, Isaacs was elected to the House of Assembly of the Bahamas for the Free National Movement party. Isaacs served as Leader of the Opposition from 1971 to 1976 and again from 1981 to 1987. His agitation resulted in the 1984 Royal Commission of Inquiry into Drug Trafficking and Government Corruption but did not result in the ouster of the Lynden Pindling-led PLP government until 1992. His sister-in-law was Dame

Bertha Isaacs Order of the British Empire, Dame Albertha Magdelina Isaacs Order of the British Empire, DBE (née Hanna; 18 April 1900 – 1 August 1997) was a Bahamian teacher, tennis player, women's rights activist and politician. After a career as an element ...

Honours, decorations, awards and distinctions

Appointed Commander of the British Empire in June 1970 while Vice-President of the Senate.https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/45117/supplement/6382 London Gazette, Issue 45117 Isaacs was appointed a

Knight Commander of Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

in the Queen's 1993 New Year's Honours List.https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/53155/supplement/37 London Gazette, Issue 53155 In 1990, the Kendal G L Isaacs Gymnasium was opened at the

Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre Thomas Robinson Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Nassau, Bahamas. The largest stadium in the country, it is currently used mostly for soccer matches. The stadium currently has a capacity of 15,000 people, but has the ability to be expanded ...

and named in his honour.

References/Notes and references

External links

Photo of a young Isaacs

Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isaacs, Kendal 1925 births 1996 deaths 20th-century Bahamian lawyers Place of death missing People from Nassau, Bahamas Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Bahamian Queen's Counsel Attorneys General of the Colony of the Bahamas Free National Movement politicians Members of the House of Assembly of the Bahamas Members of the Senate of the Bahamas Commanders of the Order of the British Empire