Crispin Anselm Sorhaindo OBE (23 May 1931 – 10 January 2010) was the fourth President of Dominica. He served from 25 October 1993 until 5 October 1998.

Early life

Sorhaindo was born in 1931 in the village of

Vieille Case Vieille Case, sometimes spelled as Vielle-Case, is a village on the north coast of Dominica. The Commonwealth of Dominica in the West Indies was first inhabited by the Kalinago tribe referred to by the Europeans as Caribs. Itassi (pronounced: e- ...

. He attended the Vieille Case Government School, where his father served as the principal, and subsequently attended the Dominica Grammar School. After some years in the public service, he was sent to study abroad at the Overseas Service Course at

Trinity College, Oxford (That which you wish to be secret, tell to nobody) , named_for = The Holy Trinity , established = , sister_college = Churchill College, Cambridge , president = Dame Hilary Boulding , location = Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BH , coordinates ...

, in 1956 and 1957, as well as the

Royal Institute of Public Administration The Royal Institute of Public Administration (RIPA) was a British professional public service institution and civil service training organisation that operated in the United Kingdom and overseas from its founding in 1922 to its closure in 1992.Shel ...

in 1963 and 1964, where he undertook the Public Finance Course.

Political career

From 1950 until 1973, Sorhaindo served in several public service posts including Clerk of the Executive and Legislative Councils, which preceded the establishment of 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 gove ...

. He also served as the chief establishment officer, principal secretary, Ministry of Finance, and financial secretary. In 1963, Sorhaindo served as the secretary of the Civil Service Commission on the Proposed East Caribbean Federation. There, he hoped to form a nation of "the little eight" that remained out of the collapsed

West Indies Federation The West Indies Federation, also known as the West Indies, the Federation of the West Indies or the West Indian Federation, was a short-lived political union that existed from 3 January 1958 to 31 May 1962. Various islands in the Caribbean that ...

(1958–62). In 1966, he served as a delegate to the London conference that designated Dominica as a self-governing Associated State of Britain until independence in 1978. Sorhaindo was a committed regionalist and was instrumental in various occasions during Caribbean integration. He represented Dominica at the early conferences leading to the establishment of the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA), the Caribbean Free Trade Area and CARICOM, the Caribbean Common Market that succeeded it, as well as meetings that laid the foundations for the establishment of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the

Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS; French: ''Organisation des États de la Caraïbe orientale'', OECO) is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration, protection of human and legal ri ...

(OECS). Sorhaindo worked with the

Caribbean Development Bank The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is a financial institution that helps Caribbean nations finance social and economic programs in its member countries. CDB was established by an Agreement signed on October 18, 1969, in Kingston, Jamaica, and ent ...

based in Barbados from 1973 until 1988. He served in various capacities, including as bank secretary, director and vice-president during his time at the bank. Upon his return to Dominica in 1988, he accepted the position of

Speaker of the House of Assembly of Dominica The Speaker of the House of Assembly of Dominica is responsible for the management and general administration of the House, ensuring that rules of procedure are followed. The Speaker is elected by the House of Assembly at its first sitting after ...

. He served from 1989 until 1993, when he was elected as president. He served a single term which ended in 1998.

Post-presidential career

Sorhaindo was a devout

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

and served the church in many capacities as a member, chairman and president of committees and boards such as the Social Centre, Help Age International and REACH. In recognition of these services he received the Papal award of Knight Commander of the Order of St. Sylvester in 1993. For service to the state, he was awarded the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1969. He was also awarded the

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n naval medal Almirante Luis Brion in 1998 and the

Dominica Award of Honour The Dominica Award of Honour is a decoration of the Commonwealth of Dominica. Created in 1967, it is the highest honour presented by the President of the Commonwealth of Dominica on behalf of the state. Insignia The badge of the Dominica Award o ...

in 2001.

Death

Sorhaindo died on 10 January 2010 following a long battle with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. He was survived by his wife, the former Ruby Allport, and their six children."Former head of state dies"
''Dominica News Online'', 11 January 2010.

References

"Biography"
Office of the President. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sorhaindo, Crispin 1931 births 2010 deaths Presidents of Dominica Deaths from cancer Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford Officers of the Order of the British Empire Speakers of the House of Assembly of Dominica Dominica Roman Catholics Bankers