Herbert Wellesley Eldemire, CD (16 October 193020 May 2010), was a Jamaican politician who served as independent Jamaica's first Minister of Health from 1962 to 1972.

Early life and education

Eldemire was born to father Arthur Wellesley Eldemire and mother Alice Hyacinth Eldemire (née Holmes) in

Montego Bay Montego Bay is the capital of the Parishes of Jamaica, parish of Saint James Parish, Jamaica, St. James in Jamaica. The city is the fourth-largest urban area in the country by population, after Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Spanish Town, and Por ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

on 16 October 1930. He was educated at

Munro College Munro College is a boarding school for boys in St Elizabeth, Jamaica. It was founded in 1856 as the Potsdam School (named for the city of Potsdam), a school for boys in St. Elizabeth as stipulated in the will of plantation owners Robert Hugh Mun ...

Career

Medical career

Eldemire was trained as a medical doctor at the Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians (Ireland). He was a medical professional and ran a practice in Montego Bay for over 40 years. Eldemire founded the Herbert Eldemire Hospital, a private healthcare institution, in Montego Bay.

Political career

Eldemire was first elected to Parliament in 1962 from the

Saint James North Western Saint James North Western is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Representatives of the Jamaican Parliament. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It was one of the 32 constit ...

constituency, representing the

Jamaica Labour Party The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is one of the two major political parties in Jamaica, the other being the People's National Party (PNP). While its name might suggest that it is a social democratic party (as is the case for "Labour" parties in seve ...

. He was Jamaica's Minister of Health from 1962 to 1972. Eldemire pioneered the development of the health system immediately after the country gained independence. One of the most significant advances during his tenure was the introduction of the National Family Planning Program. He also campaigned for the development of medical infrastructure, such as the

Cornwall Regional Hospital Cornwall Regional Hospital is a public hospital in Montego Bay, Jamaica, located in the Mount Salem district. It is the main hospital in western Jamaica. The hospital is operated by the Western Regional Health Authority on behalf of the Ministry ...

and the Cornwall School of Nursing. From 1967 to 1972 he was also Chairman of the

. In 1976, Eldemire was elected a third time to the House of Representatives as the first Member of Parliament from the newly created

Saint James East Central Saint James East Central is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Representatives of the Jamaican Parliament. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. The constituency was first cont ...

constituency. He was a member of parliament as a member of the opposition until 1980.

Personal life and death

Eldemire was married and had four children. His daughter Denise Eldemire-Shearer was married to

Hugh Shearer Hugh Lawson Shearer (18 May 1923 – 15 July 2004) was a Jamaican trade unionist and politician, who served as the 3rd Prime Minister of Jamaica, from 1967 to 1972. Biography Early life Born in Trelawny Parish, Jamaica, near the sugar an ...

, who was Prime Minister from 1967 to 1972. He died at his home in Reading, St, James, on 20 May 2010, at the age of 79.

References