St Lucian heroes: Sir George Charles
by Karen Rollins Mar 27, 2023
Sir George Frederick Lawrence Charles was officially declared one of St Lucia’s first national heroes, along with Sir John Compton, in February 2015.
Sir George was St Lucia’s first Chief Minister after being directly elected by the people who had only just gained the right to vote following Adult Suffrage in 1951. He led all the St Lucian governments subsequently elected until 1964.
Born in Castries in June 1916, Sir George was educated at St. Mary’s College, before migrating to Aruba where he worked for a year with the Largo Oil and Transport Company.
When he returned to St Lucia, Sir George became heavily involved with the trade union movement, and was subsequently made General Secretary of the Saint Lucia Workers Cooperative Union.
In 1950, Sir George along with his father James Charles and others formed the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP), which immediately became the dominant force in the country for several years. The SLP had a moderate socialist agenda that was focused on workers’ rights and independence for St Lucia which was still an overseas UK colony.
In the 1951 General Elections, Sir George led the SLP to victory as they claimed five of the eight seats in Parliament.
Sir George held the position of Chief Minister until April 1964 when the SLP government was defeated for the first time at the polls. After this disappointment, Sir George retreated from political life and the SLP spent most of the next 30 years in opposition.
In 1987 Sir George received his country’s second-highest honour, the St Lucia Cross, and in 1998 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
He died in Castries on 26 June 2004 at the age of 88.
A bust of Sir George F. L. Charles stands at the entrance to the airport in Castries which is named after him.
