This article covers the history of the Presidency of Antigua from 1871 until 1958. During this period, Antigua was a presidency part of the

British Leeward Islands The British Leeward Islands was a British colony from 1671 to 1958, consisting of the English overseas possessions, English (later British) overseas possessions in the Leeward Islands. It ceased to exist from 1816 to 1833, during which time it ...

, also including the islands of

Barbuda Barbuda (; ) is an island and dependency located in the eastern Caribbean forming part of the twin-island state of Antigua and Barbuda as an autonomous entity. Barbuda is located approximately north of Antigua. The only settlements on the i ...

and

Redonda Redonda is an List of uninhabited regions, uninhabited Caribbean island which is a dependency of Saint John, Antigua and Barbuda, in the Leeward Islands, West Indies. The island is about long, wide, and is high at its highest point. It lie ...

. During this era, universal suffrage was established, and local government thrived. In 1958, Antigua joined the

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 th ...

Government

During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Antigua was a member of the

, which also included the presidencies of St. Kitts-Nevis, Dominica, and Montserrat. Antigua was governed by a legislative council, with bills passed by the council being assented to by the Governor of the Leeward Islands. On 14 August 1914, the Antigua Defence Force was put on active duty, composed of members of the Leeward Islands Police and the Defence Reserve Corps. On 1 December 1951, Antigua adopted its first constitution, titled the "Constitution and Elections Ordinance". In the ordinance, Antigua was referred to as a "colony". The ordinance remained the constitution until 27 February 1967 when it was replaced by that of the

Associated State of Antigua Antigua, officially the Associated State of Antigua, was an associated state of the United Kingdom, which was established on 27 February 1967. The associated state was abolished on November 1, 1981 by the Antigua (Termination of Association) Ord ...

. The Legislative Council remained the presidency's legislature, now being composed of the

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

, two nominated members, and ten elected members. At the time of adoption, the council had ten electoral districts.

Elections

Three nationwide elections were held during the period of 1871 to 1958. The first was the 1946 general election, held under limited suffrage.Brian Dyde (2000) ''A History of Antigua: The Unsuspected Isle'', Macmillan Caribbean, p237 After the adoption of the Constitution and Elections Ordinance, the first election under universal suffrage was held, the 1951 general election.

Dieter Nohlen Dieter Nohlen (born 6 November 1939) is a German academic and political scientist. He currently holds the position of Emeritus Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences of the University of Heidelberg. An ex ...

(2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p66 The final election held under the period was the 1956 Antiguan general election.Nohlen, D (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p66 All three elections were landslide victories for the Antigua Trades and Labour Union and the Antigua Labour Party.

Demographics

In 1911, the racial makeup of the population was as follows:

History by area

St. John's

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the city of St. John's was governed by a city board.

Barbuda

Before the adoption of the Barbuda Ordinance,

did not have many governmental organs other than its magistrates' court. By 1898, the building was in need of repairs, and a proposal was made to construct an "overseer's house". On 30 April 1904, the Barbuda Ordinance went into force, establishing official boundaries for Codrington, making various regulations for the governance of the island, and establishing limited autonomy for the island. Per the ordinance, Barbuda was overseen by a

warden A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically ident ...

Other villages

In 1945, a system of village councils was established for the island of Antigua. In 1950, the terms for the councils were extended. In December 1950, the registration process for the January 1951 village council elections began. On 4 December 1950, the village councils were as follows:

References

{{Antigua and Barbuda topics British Leeward Islands British Antigua and Barbuda History of Antigua and Barbuda