Hugh Desmond Hoyte (9 March 1929 – 22 December 2002) was a Guyanese politician who served as

Prime Minister of Guyana The prime minister of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana is an elected member of the National Assembly of Guyana who is the principal assistant and advisor to the president as well as the leader of government business in the Assembly, but is n ...

from 1984 to 1985 and

President of Guyana The president of Guyana is the head of state and the head of government of Guyana, as well as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Republic, according to the Constitution of Guyana. The president is also the chancellor of the Or ...

from 1985 until 1992.

Personal Life and Education

Hoyte was born on 9 March 1929 in Georgetown, which was the capital of British Guiana (as it was then called). He was educated at St Barnabas Anglican School and Progressive High School, then entered public service as a teacher in Guyana and Grenada. While he was working, Hoyte earned an

external External may refer to: * External (mathematics), a concept in abstract algebra * Externality In economics, an externality or external cost is an indirect cost or benefit to an uninvolved third party that arises as an effect of another party' ...

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

in 1950. In 1959, he went to the UK to pass his bar exams at the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...

and earn an

LL.B. Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

In 1960 he set up private practice and became one of the leaders of the Guyana Bar Association. He married Joyce De Freitas in 1965.

Politics

He entered Parliament as a member of the People's National Congress in 1968 and soon began serving in the cabinet. He was Home Affairs Minister from 1969 to 1970,

Finance Minister A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

from 1970 to 1972, Works and Communications Minister from 1972 to 1974, and Economic Development Minister in 1974 to 1980. Hoyte concentrated on economic affairs during his political career. Following the December 1980 election he became one of five

vice-presidents A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

, with responsibility for economic planning, finance, and regional development.Historical information events and dates on the Parliament of Guyana from 1718 to 2006
Parliament of Guyana Hoyte suffered a personal tragedy in 1985 when his two daughters Amanda and Maxine died in a car crash while traveling on April 30 to hear him deliver the

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. Tr ...

address in the town of Linden. His sister-in-law and his driver also died; his wife Joyce was the lone survivor.

Presidency

Shortly before Burnham's death, he and other members of the PNC had embarked on talks with the opposition People's Progressive Party attempting to achieve a national unity formula to deal with the country's problems. Hoyte announced his willingness to continue the dialogue, but also announced that a general election would be held on 9 December. Responding to criticisms of previous elections as fraudulent, he agreed to certain reforms. In July 1987, he hosted the President of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

, Oliver Tambo, for a four-day visit, highlighting the close links Guyana maintained with the liberation struggle in Southern Africa. Hoyte was also

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

from 1990 until 1992.

Post-Presidency

The October 1992 election was won by the People's Progressive Party, led by

Cheddi Jagan Cheddi Berret Jagan (22 March 1918 – 6 March 1997) was a Guyanese politician and dentist who was first elected Chief Minister in 1953 and later Premier of British Guiana from 1961 to 1964. He later served as President of Guyana from 199 ...

; Hoyte conceded defeat. Hoyte remained leader of the PNC until his death, and also Minority Leader and Leader of the Opposition.Historical information events and dates on the Parliament of Guyana from 1718 to 2009
Parliament of Guyana He also was the PNC candidate in the presidential elections of 1996 and 2001. He received second place both times (40.6% in 1996 and 41.7% in 2001). The PNC never regained the power that it had under the Burnham administration and his own administration. He died in Georgetown, Guyana on 22 December 2002, aged 73. His tomb is at the

Botanical Gardens A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

References

External links

Desmond Hoyte 1929–2002

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoyte, Desmond Presidents of Guyana Prime Ministers of Guyana Vice presidents of Guyana Foreign ministers of Guyana Finance ministers of Guyana 1929 births 2002 deaths People's National Congress (Guyana) politicians Afro-Guyanese people People from Georgetown, Guyana Burials in Guyana 20th-century Guyanese politicians