Sir John George Melvin Compton - Castries, Saint Lucia
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N 14° 00.600 W 060° 59.402
20P E 717088 N 1549754
The statue of Sir John George Melvin Compton, the Father of Independence, was unveiled in February 2014 in Constitution Park in front of Castries City Hall.
Waymark Code: WMNG8G
Location: Saint Lucia
Date Posted: 03/10/2015
Views: 4
From Encyclopædia Britannica:
"Sir John George Melvin Compton, (born April 29, 1925, Canouan island, British Windward Islands [now in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]—died Sept. 7, 2007 , Castries, Saint Lucia), Saint Lucian politician who was instrumental in negotiating the independence (1979) of Saint Lucia from Britain and served three times as prime minister (1979, 1982–96, 2006–07). He governed as a pro-Western conservative and supported economic diversification and pan-Caribbean cooperation. Compton founded (1961) the National Labour Movement political party, which became, with another party, the United Workers’ Party in 1964, the same year he was chosen first minister of Saint Lucia. He served in that position until the status of Saint Lucia was changed from colony to associated state in 1967, when he became premier. Compton began negotiating for independence in 1974, and when it was achieved, he became the country’s first prime minister. Compton was knighted in 1997 and was awarded the Order of the Caribbean Community in 2002." (
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The bronze statue was created by local sculptor, Ricky George. It depicts Sir George raising his right hand in which he holds the new constitution he received when Saint Lucia gained Independence on February 1979. The statue of Sir George is 9 feet tall and stands on a 6-foot base.
The inscription on the plaque reads: "The Right Honourable / Sir John George Melvin Compton / Saint Lucia's First Prime Minister & Champion of Caribbean Integration / 1925 - 2007