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Ruth Dancia Penn, (born 1951) is a British Virgin Islands politician and former
Island Sun
{{DEFAULTSORT:Penn, Dancia 1951 births Living people Deputy Governors of the British Virgin Islands Virgin Islands Party politicians British Virgin Islands women in politics Governors of the British Virgin Islands Officers of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century British Virgin Islands lawyers British Virgin Islands judges Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court justices British women judges British Virgin Islands politicians British Virgin Islands Queen's Counsel Attorneys general of the British Virgin Islands 20th-century British women politicians 21st-century British women politicians British judges of international courts and tribunals Female justice ministers
Ruth Dancia Penn, (born 1951) is a British Virgin Islands politician and former Deputy Governor of the British Virgin Islands
The Deputy Governor of the British Virgin Islands is the highest administrative post to be held by a British Virgin Islander. The position was established in 1977.
The incumbent Deputy Governor is empowered under a dormant commission to be the ac ...
from 20 September 2004 to 1 April 2007. She also formerly served as the Attorney General of the British Virgin Islands
The Attorney General of the British Virgin Islands is the principal legal adviser to the Government of the British Virgin Islands. Under the Constitution of the British Virgin Islands the Attorney General sits ''ex officio'' in both the House of ...
from 1992 to 1999.
Penn was the first woman to be appointed Deputy Governor, and the first British Virgin Islander (and so far, the only one) to serve as Attorney General.
She served briefly as the acting Governor of the British Virgin Islands
The Governor of the Virgin Islands is the representative of the British monarch in the United Kingdom's overseas territory of the British Virgin Islands. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The r ...
during 2006 in the gap between Tom Macan
Thomas Townley Macan (born 14 November 1946) was Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the British Virgin Islands, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the Caribbean Sea, from 14 October 2004 to 10 April 2006. He was educated at Shrews ...
leaving office and David Pearey
David Pearey (born 15 July 1948) was the Governor of the British Virgin Islands from 18 April 2006 to 5 August 2010. He was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II on the advice of the British government, to represent the Queen in the territory, and t ...
taking up his appointment.
Professionally Dancia Penn goes by her maiden name, but her legal name has been changed to Mrs Dancia Penn-Sallah since her marriage to Captain Sallah, former Registrar of Ships in the British Virgin Islands.
Politics
In July 2007, Penn announced her candidacy to stand for the 8th district in the General Election held on 20 August 2007 in the British Virgin Islands on behalf of theVirgin Islands Party
The Virgin Islands Party (VIP) is a political party in the British Virgin Islands. It is presently led by Acting Premier Natalio Wheatley. It is the oldest active political party in the British Virgin Islands, and it has won more general elect ...
(VIP). She was elected to office, defeating the incumbent Lloyd Black, and she was appointed the Minister of Health and Welfare, and as the Deputy Premier of the British Virgin Islands. However, in the General Election held on 7 November 2011 she lost her 8th district seat to Marlon Penn.
There had been considerable speculation after the 2007 that when the then Premier of the British Virgin Islands
The Premier of the Virgin Islands is the head of government for the British Virgin Islands. As a British Overseas Territory, the Premier is appointed by the Governor on behalf of the British monarch, currently King Charles III. Until 2007, the h ...
, Ralph T. O'Neal
Ralph Telford O'Neal, OBE (15 December 1933 – 11 November 2019) was a British Virgin Islander politician. He was the longest ever serving elected representative in the British Virgin Islands, and served as Chief Minister (when the office was ...
retired, Penn would be named as his successor as leader of the Virgin Islands Party, and would thereby become the first female Premier in the Territory. Her defeat in the 2011 election precluded (or at least deferred) that possibility. Penn subsequently ran again for the legislature in the 2015 General Election, but ran as an independent rather than as a Virgin Islands Party candidate, and ran at-large rather than for the 8th district. She was not elected in 2015.
Judicial
In 2007, Penn took up a temporary appointment as an acting judge of theCourt of Appeal
A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...
of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is a superior court, superior court of record for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), including six independent states: Antigua and Barbuda, t ...
. She was required to give up that appointment shortly after formally entering politics as a candidate.
Electoral history
References
Offices
Sources
Island Sun
{{DEFAULTSORT:Penn, Dancia 1951 births Living people Deputy Governors of the British Virgin Islands Virgin Islands Party politicians British Virgin Islands women in politics Governors of the British Virgin Islands Officers of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century British Virgin Islands lawyers British Virgin Islands judges Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court justices British women judges British Virgin Islands politicians British Virgin Islands Queen's Counsel Attorneys general of the British Virgin Islands 20th-century British women politicians 21st-century British women politicians British judges of international courts and tribunals Female justice ministers