Vere Cornwall Bird Sr.

Who is Vere Cornwall Bird Sr.?

Vere Cornwall Bird Sr. was born in St. John's, Antigua, and rose from humble beginnings to become the dominant political figure in twentieth-century Antigua and Barbuda. He first gained prominence as a labor organizer, leading the Antigua Trades and Labour Union through the 1940s as it fought for better wages and conditions for sugar and dock workers under British colonial rule. He entered electoral politics soon after, founding the Antigua Labour Party, and steadily rose through the colonial administration, becoming Chief Minister and later Premier as the islands moved toward self-government. When Antigua and Barbuda achieved full independence from Britain on 1 November 1981, Bird became the nation's first Prime Minister, a position he held for most of the following two decades. He is widely regarded as the Father of the Nation, and the country's main international airport, V.C. Bird International Airport, bears his name. He died in 1999, having established a political dynasty continued by his sons.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Vere Cornwall Bird" · Government of Antigua and Barbuda, official independence history (1981) · Paget Henry, Peripheral Capitalism and Underdevelopment on Antigua