Sir Arthur Alexander Foulkes (born 11 May 1928)Profile of Sir Arthur Foulkes
/ref> is a politician who was the ninth

governor-general of the Bahamas The governor-general of the Bahamas is the vice-regal representative of the Bahamian monarch, currently King Charles III, in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The governor-general is appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prim ...

from 2012 to 2014. Foulkes was elected to the

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible governme ...

in 1967 and served in the government of

Lynden Pindling Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling, NH, KCMG, PC, JP (22 March 193026 August 2000) was a Bahamian politician who is regarded as the "Father of the Nation" of the Bahamas, having led it to majority rule on 10 January 1967 and to independence on 10 Jul ...

as Minister of Communications and Minister of Tourism. In 1971, he was a founder of the

Free National Movement The Free National Movement (abbreviated FNM) is a political party in The Bahamas formed in the early 1970s, led by Sir Cecil Wallace Whitfield. The current leader of the party is Michael Pintard and his deputy Peter Turnquest. It dominated the ...

, and he was appointed to the Senate in 1972 and 1977 before returning to the House of Assembly in 1982. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (KCMG) in 2001. He was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (GCMG) in 2011.

Early life

Foulkes, a native of the Bahamas, was born on the island of

Inagua Inagua is the southernmost district of the Bahamas, comprising the islands of Great Inagua and Little Inagua. The headquarters for the district council are in Matthew Town. History The original settlers were the Lucayan people, who arrived some ...

Matthew Town Matthew Town is the chief and only settlement on Great Inagua Island of the Bahamas. It is located on the southwest corner of the island. It was named after Bahamian Governor George Matthew (1844–1849) and first settled during his tenure in offi ...

on 11 May 1928.Governor General's Youth Awards: Our Patron
His parents were Dr. William and Mrs. Julie Foulkes (née Maisonneuve). Foulkes is married to the former Joan Eleanor Bullard of Nassau.

Career

Foulkes started his working life as a newspaper linotype operator, first at the nation's daily newspaper of record since 1844, ''

Nassau Guardian Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas * Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg ...

'', then at the competing ''Tribune'' newspaper. He became a reporter for ''Tribunes editor Sir Étienne Dupuch, rising to become News Editor of ''Tribune''. From 1962 to 1967, Foulkes was founding editor of ''Bahamian Times'', the official paper of the

Progressive Liberal Party The Progressive Liberal Party (abbreviated PLP) is a populist and social liberal party in the Bahamas. Philip Davis is the leader of the party. History The PLP was founded in 1953 by William Cartwright, Cyril Stevenson, and Henry Milton Tay ...

, backing the campaign for majority rule, and later a columnist for ''Nassau Guardian'' and ''Tribune''. In 1967, he was elected to Parliament and the following year appointed to serve in the

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

as Minister of Communications, then as Minister of Tourism.Governor-General appointed to Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George
/ref> He was one of the founders of the

in 1971. He was appointed to the Senate in 1972 and 1977, and re-elected to the House of Assembly in 1982. In 1972, Foulkes was one of the four Opposition delegates to the Bahamas Independence Constitution Conference in London in 1972. 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, before becoming the first Bahamian ambassador to China and Cuba in 1999. Foulkes was sworn in as Governor-General of the Bahamas on 14 May 2010, and retired on 7 July 2014.

References

External links

Bahama Islands Info: Sir Arthur Foulkes is new Governor-General
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foulkes, Arthur Alexander 1928 births Ambassadors of the Bahamas to Belgium Ambassadors of the Bahamas to France Ambassadors of the Bahamas to Germany Ambassadors of the Bahamas to Italy Ambassadors of the Bahamas to Cuba Ambassadors of the Bahamas to China Ambassadors of the Bahamas to the European Union Free National Movement politicians Governors-General of the Bahamas High Commissioners of the Bahamas to the United Kingdom Living people Members of the House of Assembly of the Bahamas Members of the Senate of the Bahamas Progressive Liberal Party politicians People from Inagua 21st-century Bahamian politicians