Maidenhair Spleeenwort – Asplenium trichomanes

by | Dec 9, 2023 | Ferns, NE Native Ferns

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Sir Arthur Alexander Foulkes, ON, GCMG (born 11 May 1928)[1] is a politician who was the ninth governor-general of the Bahamas from 2010 to 2014.[2]

Foulkes was elected to the House of Assembly in 1967 and served in the government of Lynden Pindling as Minister of Communications and Minister of Tourism.[3] In 1971, he was co-founder of the Free National Movement, and he was appointed to the Senate in 1972 and 1977 before returning to the House of Assembly in 1982.[3]

Early life

Foulkes, a native of the Bahamas, was born on the island of Inagua in Matthew Town on 11 May 1928.[4] His parents were Dr. William and Mrs. Julie (née Maisonneuve) Foulkes.[4] Foulkes is married to the former Joan Eleanor Bullard of Nassau.[4]

Career

Newspaper career

Foulkes started his working life as a newspaper linotype operator, first at the Nassau Guardian, then at the competing Tribune newspaper.[4] He became a reporter for Tribune's editor Sir Étienne Dupuch, rising to become News Editor of Tribune.[4] From 1962 to 1967, Foulkes was founding editor of Bahamian Times, the official paper of the Progressive Liberal Party, backing the campaign for majority rule, and later a columnist for Nassau Guardian and Tribune.[4]

Political career

In 1967, he was elected to Parliament and, the following year, appointed to serve in the Cabinet as Minister of Communications, then as Minister of Tourism.[3] He was one of the founders of the Free National Movement in 1971.[3] He was appointed to the Senate in 1972 and 1977, and re-elected to the House of Assembly in 1982.[3] In 1972, Foulkes was one of the four Opposition delegates to the Bahamas Independence Constitution Conference in London in 1972.[3]

In 1992, Foulkes became the Bahamas' High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, serving also as ambassador to France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and the European Union,[4] before becoming the first Bahamian ambassador to China and Cuba in 1999.[3][4] Foulkes was sworn in as Governor-General of the Bahamas on 14 May 2010,[3] retiring on 7 July 2014.[2]

Honours and awards

Foulkes was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (KCMG) in 2001; he was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the same Order (GCMG) in 2011.[3] In 2018, he was invested with the Order of the Nation (ON) by the then Governor General Marguerite Pindling.[5]

References

  1. ^ Profile of Sir Arthur Foulkes
  2. ^ a b "Bahamas New Governor General Announced". The Bahamas Weekly. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Governor-General appointed to Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Governor General's Youth Awards: Our Patron Archived March 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Biographies of 2019 Bahamian Exchange Features - website of electronic publishing platform issuu

External links

Government offices
Preceded by Governor General of the Bahamas
2010–2014 		Succeeded by
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