Tillman Joseph Thomas,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(born 13 June 1947"Grenada has a new Prime Minister"
, GrenadianConnection.com, July 9, 2008.) is a Grenadian politician who served as

Prime Minister of Grenada This is a list of Head of government, heads of government of Grenada, from the establishment of the office of the chief minister in 1960 to the present day. List of officeholders ;Political parties ;Other affiliations ;Symbols Died in ...

from 2008 to 2013. He was the leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) from 2000 to 2014.

Biography

Thomas was born in Hermitage, St. Patrick, Grenada. He was among those imprisoned under Prime Minister

Maurice Bishop Maurice Rupert Bishop (29 May 1944 – 19 October 1983) was a Grenada, Grenadian revolutionary and the leader of the New Jewel Movement (NJM) – a Marxist–Leninist party that sought to prioritise socio-economic development, education and bla ...

"New Grenada prime minister vows to boost economy, lower cost of living"
Associated Press (''International Herald Tribune''), July 9, 2008. for two years. Thomas is a graduate of New York's Fordham University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics, as well as the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus and the Hugh Wooding Law School where he completed a LL.B. and a Certificate of Legal Education respectively. His political career began in 1978, when he became involved in the Human Rights and Legal Aid Programme with the leader of the

New Jewel Movement The New Joint Endeavor for Welfare, Education, and Liberation, or New JEWEL Movement (NJM), was a Marxist–Leninist vanguard party in the Caribbean island nation of Grenada that was led by Maurice Bishop. Established in 1973, the NJM issued ...

. In December 1984, Thomas was elected to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

from St. Patrick East constituency, and from 1984 to 1990, he was a Junior Minister in the Ministry of Legal Affairs. In 1987, he was a founding member of the NDC, and from 1987 to 1990, he was the party's Assistant General Secretary. Thomas was defeated in St. Patrick East in the 1990 election, but he was, nevertheless, appointed as a Junior Minister in the Ministry of Labour. Subsequently, he was appointed as Minister in the Ministries of Works and Tourism. Following the NDC's defeat in the 1999 general election, in which it failed to win any seats, Thomas was elected as the party leader in October 2000. He won a House of Representatives seat in the November 2003 general election, along with six other members from his party; the NDC fell one seat short of a majority in the 15-seat House of Representatives. However, and the governing New National Party (NNP) won another term. Thomas became

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 ...

in the

House of Representatives of Grenada The House of Representatives of Grenada is the lower chamber of the country's bicameral parliament. Together with the upper chamber, the Senate, it meets in the New Houses of Parliament in the capital St. George's. The House of Representativ ...

in early December 2003. After spending 13 years in opposition, the NDC won the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

held on 8 July 2008, taking 11 out of 15 seats and defeating the NNP.George Worme
"Thomas wins by a landslide in Grenada"
''The Nation'' (Barbados), July 10, 2008. Thomas himself was elected from St. Patrick East constituency.
, Caribbean Net News, July 10, 2008. On 9 July Thomas was sworn in as Prime Minister at the Grenada Trade Centre in Grand Anse, St. George's by Governor-General Daniel Williams. Speaking on this occasion, he promised "openness and transparency" of government as well as " he practice ofthe politics of inclusion". Thomas's cabinet, composed of 17 members, was sworn in at the National Stadium on 13 July 2008. In addition to being Prime Minister, Thomas took the portfolios of

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership or ...

, Legal Affairs, National Security, Information, and Public Administration. Two members of non-governmental organizations who were not affiliated with the NDC were included in the cabinet: Franka Bernadine as Minister of Education and Human Resources, and Jimmy Bristol as Attorney-General. After nearly five years in power, the NDC suffered a crushing defeat in the February 2013 general election, losing all of its seats, including the seat held by Thomas. The opposition NNP won all 15 seats, and Keith Mitchell returned to the office as Prime Minister. In the wake of the defeat, Thomas said at an interview that he was willing to stand aside as the party leader: "Once somebody comes forward, I am prepared to let that person take over the responsibility of leadership of the party". Thomas was succeeded as the NDC's political leader by Nazim Burke, former deputy political leader and Minister of Finance of Grenada, in early 2014. Thomas was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the

2023 Birthday Honours The 2023 King's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of King Charles III to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part ...

for services to Grenada.

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Tillman 1945 births Ministers of foreign affairs of Grenada Grenadian prisoners and detainees Living people Members of the House of Representatives of Grenada National Democratic Congress (Grenada) politicians Prime ministers of Grenada Prisoners and detainees of Grenada People from Saint Patrick Parish, Grenada Tourism ministers of Grenada 21st-century Grenadian politicians Commanders of the Order of the British Empire