Sir Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds, KCMG (born 12 April 1936), is a Saint Kittitian and Nevisian politician who served as the first prime minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis from 1983 to 1995.

Life and career

Simmonds was born in

Basseterre Basseterre (; Saint Kitts Creole: ''Basterre'') is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Saint Kitts and Nevis with an estimated population of 14,000 in 2018. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at , on the south-wester ...

on 12 April 1936. He graduated as a

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

from the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

in 1962. He married Mary Matthew, and they had five children. Simmonds was a founding member of the

People's Action Movement The People's Action Movement (PAM) is a political party in the island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The party currently holds one of the 11 seats in the National Assembly. PAM operates only in Saint Kitts and for the 2022 general election ...

(PAM) party. He was the Premier of Saint Kitts and Nevis from 21 February 1980, until the twin-island state gained independence from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

on 19 September 1983. Upon independence, he became the 1st Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis and as such has been described as "The Father of the Nation." Simmonds and his party ruled with the support of

Nevis Reformation Party The Nevis Reformation Party is a Nevis-based political party in Saint Kitts and Nevis. The party currently holds none of the eleven seats in the National Assembly. It is the official opposition party on Nevis, holding two of five seats in the Ne ...

. He had three

deputy prime ministers Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spain, ...

: Michael Oliver Powell 1980-1992, Sydney Earl Morris 1992-1994 and Hugh Heyliger 1994-1995.

Honours

In 2004, Simmonds was made a Knight Commander of the

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, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

. In 2015, Simmonds became the fifth person to be named as a National Hero by the National Assembly. He is the first living person to receive this honour. In 2021, Simmonds received an honorary

DSc DSC or Dsc may refer to: Education * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dyal Sin ...

from the University of the West Indies. Simmonds published an

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

in 2019 entitled ''The Making of a National Hero.''

References

External links

An interview with Dr Kennedy Simmonds, Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis (1993)
1936 births Living people Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Prime ministers of Saint Kitts and Nevis Ministers of finance of Saint Kitts and Nevis Recipients of the Order of the National Hero (Saint Kitts and Nevis) People's Action Movement politicians People from Saint Kitts Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Foreign ministers of Saint Kitts and Nevis University of the West Indies alumni {{SaintKittsNevis-politician-stub