Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller (born 12 December 1945) is a Jamaican politician who served as

Prime Minister of Jamaica The prime minister of Jamaica () is Jamaica's head of government, currently Andrew Holness. Holness, as leader of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), was sworn in as prime minister on 7 September 2020, having been re-elected as a result ...

from 2006 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2016. She was leader of the

People's National Party The People's National Party (PNP) (PNP; ) is a Social democracy, social democratic List of political parties in Jamaica, political party in Jamaica, founded in 1938 by Norman Manley, Norman Washington Manley who served as party president unti ...

from 2005 to 2017 and

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 2007 to 2012 and from 2016 to 2017. While serving as Prime Minister, Simpson-Miller retained the positions of Minister of Defence, Development, Information and Sports. She has also served as Minister of Labour, Social Security and Sport, Minister of Tourism and Sports and Minister of Local Government throughout her political career. Following her election win in

December 2011 The year marked the start of a series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen, and in som ...

, when her party defeated the

Jamaica Labour Party The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP; ) is one of the two major political parties in Jamaica, the other being the People's National Party (PNP). While its name might suggest that it is a social democratic party (as is the case for "Labour" parties in se ...

, she became the second individual since independence to have served non-consecutive terms as prime minister, the first having been

Michael Manley Michael Norman Manley (10 December 1924 – 6 March 1997) was a Jamaican politician who served as the fourth prime minister of Jamaica, from 1972 to 1980, and from 1989 to 1992. Manley championed a democratic socialist program, and has been ...

. The People's National Party under her leadership lost the 25 February 2016 general election by only one seat to the

Andrew Holness Andrew Michael Holness, (born 22 July 1972) is a Jamaican politician who has served as Prime Minister of Jamaica since 3 March 2016, having previously served from 2011 to 2012, and as Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) since 2011. Ho ...

-led

. One political commentator described the poll as "the closest election Jamaica has ever had". Following this defeat, Simpson-Miller stepped down in 2017. Simpson-Miller was ranked by ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012. In 2011, she was named Person of the Year by ''

The Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper in the Western Hemisphere. Original ...

'' and ''

Observer An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment. Observer may also refer to: Fiction * ''Observer'' (novel), a 2023 science fiction novel by Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress * ''Observer'' (video game), a cyberpunk horr ...

''.

Early life and education

Simpson-Miller was born Portia Lucretia Simpson in Wood Hall, St Catherine, in 1945. Her parents were Ethlyn Tulloch and Zedekiah Simpson. She later said her father named her after Portia from

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play, ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

''. She attended Marlie Hill Primary School, which was destroyed by Hurricane Charlie in 1951 and relocated to the nearby community of Bellfield. She attended St Catherine High School before the family moved to Gem Road, Kingston. Simpson Miller attended St Martin's High School, which was located on Upper Ivy Road, Kingston. In 1997, Simpson-Miller graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

Public Administration Public administration, or public policy and administration refers to "the management of public programs", or the "translation of politics into the reality that citizens see every day",Kettl, Donald and James Fessler. 2009. ''The Politics of the ...

from the

Union Institute & University Union Institute & University (UI&U) was a private online university that was headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It also operated satellite campuses in Florida and California. In early 2023, it began to experience severe financial challenge ...

, a low-residency university headquartered in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

United States of America 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 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

. At the time, she was a Cabinet minister.

Political career

Simpson-Miller was first elected to the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) in the 1974 local government elections, representing Trench Town West as a

(PNP) councillor. Simpson-Miller was elected in 1976 to the

Parliament of Jamaica The Parliament of Jamaica () is the legislature, legislative branch of the government of Jamaica. Officially, they are known as the Houses of Parliament. It consists of three elements: The Monarchy of Jamaica, Crown (represented by the Govern ...

, to represent the constituency of South West St. Andrew Parish, as a member of the

. The PNP boycotted the elections called in 1983. She was re-elected to the same seat in a later election, and served as Minister of Labour, Welfare and Sports from 1989 to 1993. She was Minister of Labour and Welfare from 1993 to 1995, Minister of Labour, Social Security and Sports from 1995 to February 2000, Minister of Tourism and Sports from February 2000 to October 2002, and Minister of Local Government and Sport since October 2002. She served as Vice President of the PNP from 1978 to 2006, when she became its president. In the PNP's internal vote to elect P. J. Patterson's successor, held on 26 February 2006, she received 1,775 votes, while her nearest rival, then security minister Dr. Peter Phillips, took 1,538 votes. She garnered approximately 47% of the delegates' vote, making her the first PNP president to be elected by less than half of eligible delegates. In July 2008, Simpson-Miller was challenged for the presidency of the PNP by Phillips. The election was held among the party's delegates on 20 September. She was re-elected as the head of the PNP for her second consecutive year, defeating him by an even wider margin than that of the previous election.

Prime minister

Simpson-Miller replaced Patterson as prime minister on 30 March 2006, becoming the first female head of government of the nation and the third in the Anglophone Caribbean, following

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 ...

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 Janet Jagan of

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

. In organising the cabinet following her swearing-in, she assumed the portfolio of

defence minister A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

2007 elections

On 3 September 2007, Simpson-Miller's party narrowly lost the general election, retaining 27 seats against the

's 33 seats. This margin was revised to 32–28 after recounts and an election petition decision concerning the eligibility of a government MP who had

dual citizenship Multiple citizenship (or multiple nationality) is a person's legal status in which a person is at the same time recognized by more than one sovereign state, country under its nationality law, nationality and citizenship law as a national or cit ...

. This election ended 18 years of PNP rule, and

Bruce Golding Orette Bruce Golding (born 5 December 1947) is a former Jamaican politician who served as eighth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 11 September 2007 to 23 October 2011. He is a member of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), which he led from 2005 to ...

became the new prime minister. The loss can in part be attributed to a well planned and executed campaign by the JLP. A part of their campaign strategy was a media blitz that claimed to highlight 18 years of neglect under the PNP and the incompetence of Simpson-Miller as a leader. One advertisement highlighted the deplorable conditions in Simpson-Miller's own constituency of South West St. Andrew while others were created from controversial interviews and still others discussed issues surrounding her competence as a leader. Simpson-Miller initially refused to concede defeat, alleging voting irregularities and the possibility that recounts would change the final result. The

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...

issued a statement declaring the election free and fair. "I believe this election can stand international scrutiny," said OAS assistant secretary-general Albert Ramdin, who led a team of international observers who monitored the election. She conceded defeat on 5 September. On 11 September, Simpson Miller was succeeded as prime minister by JLP leader

. In 2011, Golding resigned, making way for

to become the 9th Prime Minister of Jamaica.

2011 election

On 5 December 2011, Holness asked the

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

, Sir Patrick Allen, to dissolve parliament and call an election, despite the fact that elections were not constitutionally necessary until September 2012. The date of the 2011 election was set as 29 December and major local media outlets viewed the election as "too close to call". However, as Simpson-Miller campaigned in key constituencies, the gap widened to favour the PNP. Days before the election, Simpson-Miller came out fully in favour of

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, Gay men, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the Capital punishmen ...

in a televised debate, sparking an eleventh-hour controversy ahead of the vote. In early vote counting on 29 December, it was apparent that the PNP was winning a large number of swing constituencies. By evening, the ''

Jamaica Observer The ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by ...

'' had declared 41 of 63 constituencies for the PNP. The election results were officially declared by the Electoral Office on 5 January and, upon the request of the Governor General, Simpson-Miller formed the new Jamaican government. In the

2011 Jamaican general election General elections were held in Jamaica on 29 December 2011. The elections were contested mainly between the nation's two major political parties, the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), led by Andrew Holness, and the Portia Simpson-Miller-led ...

, the number of seats had been increased to 63, and the PNP swept to power with a landslide 42 seats to the JLP's 21. The voter turnout was 53.17%.

2016 elections

In the 2016 Jamaican general election on 25 February, Simpson-Miller lost to

by a narrow margin that resulted in a recount, which granted the PNP an additional seat, resulting in a one-seat loss; the PNP won 31 seats to the JLP's 32. As a result, Simpson-Miller became Opposition Leader for a second time. The voter turnout dipped below 50% for the first time, registering just 48.37%. Following calls from within her own party for her to step down as party leader, Simpson-Miller announced she would not seek re-election on 4 December 2016. She was replaced by

Peter Phillips Peter Mark Andrew Phillips (born 15 November 1977) is a British businessman. He is the son of Anne, Princess Royal, and Mark Phillips, and a nephew of King Charles III. At the time of his birth during the reign of his maternal grandmothe ...

, the Shadow Minister of Finance and former rival, on 26 March 2017. She stepped down as an MP in June 2017.

Political positions

Simpson-Miller supports Jamaican republicanism, and has endorsed replacing the Jamaican monarchy with an elected president. Simpson-Miller has reportedly pledged to transform Jamaica into a republic as part of the 50th anniversary of the island's independence. Simpson-Miller has occasionally been labelled as a

populist Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...

. After ambivalence during her first term in office, Simpson-Miller became the first head of government in Jamaican history to formally endorse civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens during an election campaign. Simpson-Miller noted during an election debate that she "has no problem giving certain positions of authority to a homosexual as long as they show the necessary level of competence for the post." She expressed that equality within a nation for all people is of utmost importance. During her premiership, Simpson-Miller received some scrutiny from foreign LGBT organisations and commentators following the murder of Dwayne Jones for what they saw as lack of action by her government against anti-homosexual violence despite her pledge to improve conditions for LGBT Jamaicans.

Personal life

In 1998, Simpson married Errald Miller, a business executive and former CEO of Cable & Wireless Jamaica Ltd. On 29 May 2006 she was vested with the Jamaican Order of the Nation, giving her (and her husband) the title "The Most Honourable". Simpson-Miller is also known as "Sista P" or "Mama P".

Honours

*Simpson-Miller was ranked by ''

'' as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012. *Simpson-Miller was named Person of the Year by ''

'' and ''Observer'' in the Gleaner awards 2011.Chaplin, Ken
"Portia Simpson Miller: Person of the Year"
''Jamaica Observer'', 3 January 2012. Simpson-Miller is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, an international network of current and former female presidents and prime ministers. Simpson-Miller, in 2013, was elected vice-president of

Socialist International The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism, consisting mostly of Social democracy, social democratic political parties and Labour mov ...

following a conference in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

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 ...

. Simpson-Miller has received the following

honorary doctorates An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

: * Honorary doctor of humane letters from Union Institute & University in 2001. * Honorary doctor of public service from

Northern Caribbean University Northern Caribbean University (NCU) is a university in Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica. NCU is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and also has campuses in Kingston, Montego Bay Montego Bay () is the capital of the Pa ...

in 2012. * Honorary

doctor of laws A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

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 2017.

References

External links

Official ProfileExtended profileUpdate on the Jamaican Economy
from the

Center for Economic and Policy Research The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) is an American think tank that specializes in economic policy. Based in Washington, D.C. CEPR was co-founded by economists Dean Baker and Mark Weisbrot in 1999. Considered a left-leaning orga ...

, May 2012 , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson-Miller, Portia 1945 births 20th-century British women politicians 21st-century British women politicians 21st-century Jamaican politicians 21st-century Jamaican women politicians Female defence ministers Government ministers of Jamaica Jamaican republicans Living people Union Institute & University alumni Members of the House of Representatives of Jamaica People from Saint Catherine Parish People's National Party (Jamaica) politicians Prime ministers of Jamaica Defence ministers of Jamaica Tourism ministers of Jamaica Recipients of the Order of the Nation Women opposition leaders 21st-century women prime ministers Women government ministers of Jamaica Women prime ministers in North America First women prime ministers