Dame Sandra Prunella Mason (born 17 January 1949) is a Barbadian politician, lawyer, and diplomat who is serving as the first

president of Barbados President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

since 2021. She was previously the eighth and final governor-general of Barbados from 2018 to 2021, the second woman to hold the office. On 20 October 2021, Mason was elected by the

Parliament of Barbados The Parliament of Barbados is the national legislature of Barbados. It is accorded parliamentary sovereignty, legislative supremacy by Chapter V of the Constitution of Barbados.#refConstitution, Constitution, Chapter V, Part 1; Section 35 The P ...

to become the country's first president, and took office on 30 November 2021, when Barbados ceased to be a

constitutional monarchy Constitutional monarchy, also known as limited monarchy, parliamentary monarchy or democratic monarchy, is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in making decisions. ...

and became a republic. Mason was a practicing

attorney-at-law Attorney at law or attorney-at-law, usually abbreviated in everyday speech to attorney, is the preferred term for a practising lawyer in certain jurisdictions, including South Africa (for certain lawyers), Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and the Unit ...

who has served as a High Court

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

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 ...

and a Court of Appeal judge in Barbados, and was the first woman admitted to the bar in Barbados. She served as chair of the CARICOM commission to evaluate regional integration, was the first magistrate appointed an

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

from Barbados, and was the first woman to serve on the country's

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. She was the first appointee from Barbados to the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal. In 2017, she was appointed the 8th governor-general of Barbados, with a term beginning on 8 January 2018. Simultaneously with her appointment, Mason was awarded the Dame Grand Cross in the

Order of Saint Michael and Saint 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 I ...

. On assumption of the office of Governor-General, she became the Chancellor of the Order of National Heroes,

Order of Barbados The Order of Barbados is a Order (distinction), national Order of honours and decorations for Barbados. History The first Order of Barbados was instituted by Queen Elizabeth II by letters patent dated 25 July 1980. With Barbados becoming a republ ...

and the Order of Freedom.

Early life and education

Sandra Prunella Mason was born on 17 January 1949 in

Saint Philip, Barbados Saint Philip is a parishes of Barbados, parish of Barbados at the easternmost end of the island. Saint Philip’s Parish Church, Barbados, Saint Philip’s Parish Church was built as the Anglican parish church in 1640. St. Philip has the largest ...

. After studying at St. Catherine's Primary School until age nine, she attended secondary school at Queen's College, then began teaching at the Princess Margaret Secondary School in 1968. The following year, she worked at Barclays Bank as a clerk. Mason enrolled in the

University of the West Indies at Cave Hill University of the West Indies at Cave Hill is a public research university in Cave Hill, Barbados. It is one of five general campuses in the University of the West Indies system. It was the third campus to be established by the UWI System, fol ...

, where she earned a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

. Mason was one of the first graduates of the Faculty of Law from UWI, Cave Hill, completing her education in 1973. In 1975, she obtained a

Legal Education Certificate In the Commonwealth Caribbean, a Legal Education Certificate is a professional certification awarded to a person who has completed a course of study and training at a law school established by the Council of Legal Education. It was created by Art ...

from

Hugh Wooding Law School The Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) is a law school in Trinidad and Tobago. History Named for Trinidad and Tobago jurist and politician Hugh Wooding, HWLS is one of three law schools empowered by the (Caribbean) Council of Legal Education to a ...

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

, becoming the first woman attorney-at-law from Barbados to graduate from the school. She was admitted to the bar on 10 November the same year, becoming the first woman member of the Barbados Bar Association. She is a Soroptimist and Patron of SI Barbados.

Early career and legal practice

Beginning in 1975, she worked in Trust Administration for Barclay's and transferred to several different posts within the Barclay's company until 1977. In 1978, Mason began working as the Magistrate of the Juvenile and Family Court and simultaneously tutoring in family law at UWI. She stopped tutoring in 1983 and continued working as a magistrate. In 1988, Mason completed the Royal Institute of Public Administration in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

's course on Judicial Administration. She served on the UN

Committee on the Rights of the Child The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is a body of experts that monitor and report on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The committee also monitors the convention's three optional protoco ...

from its 1991 inception until 1999, holding the vice chair from 1993 to 1995 and chair from 1997 to 1999. Between 1991 and 1992, Mason served as chair and was one of the two women appointed to the 13-member CARICOM commission charged with evaluating regional integration. She left the family court in 1992 to serve as an ambassador to Venezuela, and was the first woman magistrate from Barbados to serve in that position. Between 1993 and 1994 she also served as ambassador to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

and

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. Upon her return to Barbados in 1994, Mason was appointed Chief Magistrate for Barbados, and in 1997 became the Registrar of the

. In 2000, Mason completed studies on Alternative Dispute Resolution at the

University of Windsor The University of Windsor (UWindsor, U of W, or UWin) is a public university, public research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has approximately 17,500 students. The university was incorporated by ...

Windsor, Ontario Windsor ( ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Esse ...

, Canada, and then completed a Fellowship with the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

, in 2001, as well as a course in Advanced Dispute Resolution at UWI. She continued to serve as Registrar of the Supreme Court until 2005, when she was appointed as Queen's Counsel to the Inner Bar of Barbados. In 2008, Mason was sworn in as an Appeals Judge becoming the first woman to serve on the Barbados Court of Appeals. For three days in 2012, she became the acting Governor-General of Barbados and the following year was the first Barbadian appointed to membership in the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal (CSAT). The Tribunal operates among members of the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...

to resolve issues concerning contract disputes. With that appointment, ''Loop News'' named her one of the 10 most powerful women in Barbados.

Governor-General of Barbados

In 2017, Mason was appointed as the eighth Governor-General of Barbados, with a term beginning on 8 January 2018. Simultaneously with her appointment, Mason was also appointed a Dame Grand Cross in the

. In 2020, Mason, in her official capacity announcing government policy in the Throne Speech, written by the government of Prime Minister

Mia Mottley Mia "Ma" Amor Mottley, (born 1 October 1965) is a Barbadian politician and attorney who has served as the eighth prime minister of Barbados since 2018 and as Leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) since 2008. Mottley is the first woman to h ...

, stated that Barbados would become a republic, abolishing the Barbadian monarchy. She was then expected to be nominated as a candidate to be the first president of Barbados, then to be elected by the two houses of parliament, and to assume office on 30 November 2021.

President of Barbados

On 12 October 2021, Mason was nominated by Prime Minister

and Opposition Leader Joseph Atherley to become the first

. On 20 October she was elected by both houses without opposition, although no national vote amongst the people was ever held. Mason took office on 30 November 2021, the 55th anniversary of

Independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

. While she is nominally chief executive and is the sole head of state in Barbados, in practice her role is mostly ceremonial, much like her previous role as Governor-General. She made her first official visit to

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

in June 2022. As president, Mason represented Barbados at the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in 2023.

Honours

* Chancellor and Principal Dame of St. Andrew

(DA) * Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (GCMG) * Dame of Grace of The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John (DStJ) * Order of Freedom of Barbados (FB)

Personal life

Mason has kept her family life largely private. She is known to have a son named Matthew, who is an attorney-at-law.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * *

External links

President Sandra Mason
at the Government of Barbados's official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Sandra Living people 1949 births 20th-century Barbadian lawyers 20th-century women lawyers 21st-century Barbadian lawyers 21st-century women lawyers 21st-century Barbadian women politicians 21st-century Barbadian politicians Ambassadors of Barbados to Brazil Ambassadors of Barbados to Chile Ambassadors of Barbados to Colombia Ambassadors of Barbados to Venezuela Barbadian judges Barbadian lawyers Barbadian Queen's Counsel Barbadian women ambassadors Barbadian women lawyers Dames Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Women presidents in North America Governors-general of Barbados Presidents of Barbados Heads of state of Barbados Recipients of the Order of Freedom of Barbados Knights and Dames of St Andrew (Barbados) People from Saint Philip, Barbados University of the West Indies alumni University of Windsor Faculty of Law alumni Queen's College (Barbados) alumni Female governors-general First women presidents Lawyers awarded damehoods