Percival Noel James Patterson, popularly known as P.J. Patterson (born 10 April 1935), is a Jamaican former politician who served as the sixth

Prime Minister of Jamaica The prime minister of Jamaica is Jamaica's head of government, currently Andrew Holness. Holness, as leader of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), was sworn in as prime minister on 7 September 2020, having been re-elected as a result of t ...

from 1992 to 2006. He served in office for 14 years, making him the longest-serving Prime Minister in Jamaica's history. He was the leader of the

People's National Party The People's National Party (PNP) is a social-democratic political party in Jamaica, founded in 1938 by independence campaigner Osmond Theodore Fairclough. It holds 14 of the 63 seats in the House of Representatives, as 96 of the 227 local go ...

from 1992 to 2006. Patterson served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Westmoreland South Eastern from 1970 to 1980 (when he lost to Euphemia Williams of the Jamaica Labour Party) and again from 1989 to 1993. Following a constituency reorganization, he served as the MP for Westmoreland Eastern from 1993 to 2006. He retired from all of these positions in January 2006. Cabinet positions he held during his political career include Minister of Industry and Tourism; Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade; Minister of Development, Planning and Production;

Minister of Finance 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", " ...

and Planning.

Early life and education

Patterson's parents were Henry Patterson, a farmer, and Ina James, a primary school teacher, who both hailed from the

Hanover Parish Hanover is a parish located on the northwestern tip of the island of Jamaica. It is a part of the county of Cornwall, bordered by St. James in the east and Westmoreland in the south. With the exception of Kingston, it is the smallest paris ...

in western

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 ...

. He received his secondary education at Kingston's

Calabar High School Calabar High School is an All-boys school, all-male secondary school in Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica. It was established by the Jamaica Baptist Union in 1912 for the children of Baptist ministers. It was named after the Kalabari Kingdom ...

, and pursued higher studies at the University College of West Indies and later the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...

."The Rt. Hon. Percival James Patterson (1935 - )"
National Library of Jamaica. Retrieved 29 March 2019. As an undergraduate at the University of the West Indies (UWI), he served as Chairman of UWI'S External Affairs Commission, where he gained exposure to world leaders and international political thought through attendance at a number of international student fora. It was also at UWI that he became committed to Caribbean regionalism and to the causes of countries of the developing world. In 1958, he graduated with a B.A. (Honours) in English. His time as a Law student of the

consolidated his foundation in international politics and was awarded the Leverhume Scholarship, and the Sir Hughes Parry prize for Excellence in the Law of Contracts. While enrolled at the

Inns of Court The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. There are four Inns of Court – Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple and Middle Temple. All barristers must belong to one of them. They have ...

(Middle Temple), he several of his fellow students were to become future leaders of the countries of the developing world.

Early political life

Patterson joined the organising staff of the

(PNP) in 1958, and he became a member of the party's National and Executive Councils in 1964. Patterson entered the

Parliament of Jamaica The Parliament of Jamaica is the legislative branch of the government of Jamaica. It consists of three elements: The Crown (represented by the Governor-General), the appointed Senate and the directly elected House of Representatives. The S ...

as an Opposition Senator in 1969, appointed by Opposition Leader

Norman Manley Norman Washington Manley (4 July 1893 – 2 September 1969) was a Jamaican statesman who served as the first and only Premier of Jamaica. A Rhodes Scholar, Manley became one of Jamaica's leading lawyers in the 1920s. Manley was an advocate ...

. He was elected the youngest ever Vice President of the PNP later that year at age 33. When in 1969 his predecessor as Prime Minister of Jamaica,

Michael Manley Michael Norman Manley (10 December 1924 – 6 March 1997) was a Jamaican politician who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1972 to 1980 and from 1989 to 1992. Manley championed a democratic socialist program, and has been ...

, launched his campaign for the Presidency of the PNP, he turned to P. J. Patterson, youngest of the highest-ranking segment of the party executive, to lead his campaign. This was the beginning of a partnership which endured over the next 23 years, and allowed for an exchange of political ideas and perspectives that proved beneficial to both. Patterson was elected the Member of Parliament for Westmoreland South Eastern in the constituency's by-election of 1970. The constituency borders were reorganized prior to the general election of 1993 and he was elected as the Member of Parliament for

Westmoreland Eastern Westmoreland Eastern 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 consists of the eastern ...

in that election, a seat he held until his retirement in 2006. He was Campaign Manager for the PNP's bid for power in the General Elections of 1972, demonstrating skill as a political organizer that played a significant role in the party's victory at the polls that year. This led to his first appointment to the Jamaican Cabinet as Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism. From 1978 to 1980, Patterson served as deputy prime minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. The PNP were voted out of power in 1980, and Patterson lost his seat to

Euphemia Williams Euphemia ( el, Εὐφημία; "well-spoken f), known as the All-praised in the Eastern Orthodox Church, was a virgin, who was martyred for her faith at Chalcedon in 303 AD. According to tradition, Euphemia was arrested for refusing to offer ...

. However, in 1983, he was elected party chairman, and the PNP won by a landslide in 1989, and Patterson was back as deputy prime minister. From 1989 to 1990, Patterson was also Minister of Development, Planning and Production, and from 1990 to 1991, he was Minister of Finance and Planning.

Premiership

He assumed office as Prime Minister after

retired in 1992, at a time when the Caribbean island nation was facing the formidable challenge of securing a place in a new global order of economic

liberalization Liberalization or liberalisation (British English) is a broad term that refers to the practice of making laws, systems, or opinions less severe, usually in the sense of eliminating certain government regulations or restrictions. The term is used m ...

and deregulation. In the 1993 Jamaican general election, held on March 30, Patterson led the PNP to a second consecutive victory in the polls, winning 52 of the 60 seats up for grabs, defeating former prime minister

Edward Seaga Edward Philip George Seaga ( or ; 28 May 1930 – 28 May 2019) was a Jamaican politician. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Jamaica, from 1980 to 1989, and the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party from 1974 to 2005.Jamaica Labour Party. Nohlen, Dieter (2005), ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook'', Volume I, p. 430. Patterson led efforts to strengthen the country's social protection and security systems—a critical element of his economic and social policy agenda to mitigate, reduce poverty and social deprivation. In the 1997 Jamaican general election, Patterson led the PNP to a third consecutive victory, breaking the "third-term barrier". The PNP won 50 of the 60 seats available. His massive investments in modernization of Jamaica's infrastructure and restructuring of the country's financial sector are widely credited with having led to Jamaica's greatest period of investment in tourism, mining, ICT and energy since the 1960s. He also ended Jamaica's 18-year borrowing relationship with the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glo ...

, allowing the country greater latitude in pursuit of its economic policies. In 2002, when Patterson led the PNP to another general election victory, but with a much-reduced majority of 34 out of 60 seats. He became the first Jamaican prime minister to be sworn in for a fourth consecutive term. In September 2003 Patterson told a party conference that he wanted Jamaica to be a republic by the time he left office in 2007, saying "The majority of people in Jamaica are ready to consign to history the last vestiges of colonialism". Patterson had long supported moves to make Jamaica a republic, but he was unsuccessful in this aim, as Jamaica is still a monarchy. In 2012 he expressed his frustration that a republic had still not come into being He made international headlines in 2004 when, as Chairman of CARICOM, he led the regional organization in the decision to refuse recognition of the

Gérard Latortue Gérard Latortue (born 19 June 1934 in Gonaïves) is a Haitian politician and diplomat who served as the prime minister of Haiti from 12 March 2004 to 9 June 2006. He was an official in the United Nations for many years, and briefly served as f ...

government in Haiti following the removal of the democratically elected Jean-Bertrand Aristide from office. Patterson arranged for Aristide to take up temporary residence in Jamaica during Aristide's lawsuit against the United States and France accusing the countries of kidnapping him. In one of his final initiatives as Prime Minister, he launched a program of radical transformation of the island's

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

system aimed at development of quality human capital equipped to succeed in the competitive global economy. In addition, Patterson presided over a significant decline in poverty during his time in office. Patterson retired as prime minister on 30 January 2006, and he was succeeded as PM by

Portia Simpson-Miller Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller (born 12 December 1945) is a Jamaican politician. She served as Prime Minister of Jamaica from March 2006 to September 2007 and again from 5 January 2012 to 3 March 2016. She was the leader of the People's Nationa ...

Post-premiership

Following his premiership, from 2006 to 2007, he chaired the Committee on Commonwealth Membership, which presented its report on potential changes in membership criteria for the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the ...

at the

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2007 The 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting was the 20th Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in Kampala, Uganda, between 23 November and 25 November 2007, and was hosted by President Yoweri Museven ...

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

International service

Patterson is a member of the Club de Madrid, a group that consists of more than 100 former presidents and prime ministers of democratic countries, which works to strengthen democracy and democratic leadership worldwide. Patterson has contributed to numerous Conventions and Statements in the international arena including the Valletta Statement on Multilateral Trade and the Gozo Statement on Vulnerable Small States. These have helped to shape north–south relationship and influence the negotiating position of developing countries. He is a member of the

Global Leadership Foundation The Global Leadership Foundation (GLF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization consisting of a network of former heads of state/government and other distinguished leaders (GLF Members), who seek to assist developing countries in improving gov ...

, an

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

composed of a number of former statesmen, ex-presidents and prime ministers founded in 2004 by former State President of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

and

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

laureate F. W. de Klerk. The Global Leadership Foundation is an organization which works to support democratic leadership, prevent and resolve conflict through mediation and promote good governance in the form of democratic institutions, open markets, human rights and the rule of law. It does so by making available, discreetly and in confidence, the experience of former leaders to today's national leaders. It is a not-for-profit organization composed of former heads of government, senior governmental and international organization officials who work closely with Heads of Government on governance-related issues of concern to them. He played a seminal role in the process that marked the transition from the first steps in integration of the Caribbean region to the founding of CARIFTA and its evolution into CARICOM. He drew upon his expertise in law and trade, to steer the regional body toward the development of a Caribbean jurisprudence through the

Caribbean Court of Justice The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ; nl, Caribisch Hof van Justitie; french: Cour Caribéenne de Justice) is the judicial institution of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Established in 2005, it is based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. ...

, and a borderless regional economy through the CARICOM Single Market, which came to fruition in 2005 and 2006 respectively. During his tenure as Jamaica's foreign minister he served as president of the ACP/ EU Ministerial Council and led negotiations for the ACP group of countries with the European Community. As chairman of the ACP/EEC Ministerial Conference, he played a pivotal role in forging an agreement on the basic framework for the original

Lomé Convention The Lomé Convention is a trade and aid agreement between the European Economic Community (EEC) and 71 African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries, first signed in February 1975 in Lomé, Togo. History The first Lomé Convention (Lomé I) ...

, which influenced the outcome of subsequent negotiations that led to the Convention signed in 1975. He has served as president and spokesman of the ACP Ministerial Council on a number of occasions. A passionate opponent of

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

, he was an ardent proponent of

's liberation movement.

Memberships and awards

Upon becoming the prime minister of Jamaica in 1992 Patterson was invested with the

Order of the Nation The Order of the Nation is a Jamaican honour. It is a part of the Jamaican honours system and was instituted in 1973 as the second-highest honour in the country, with the Order of National Hero being the highest honour. The Order of the Nation ...

, allowing him to be known as "The Most Honourable" and to use the post-nominal letters "ON". In 2006 he was invested with the

Order of Excellence of Guyana The Order of Excellence of Guyana is the highest national award of Guyana. Established in 1970 under the Constitution of the Orders, decorations, and medals of Guyana, Orders of Guyana, it is limited to 25 living citizens of Guyana. This is the hi ...

allowing him to use the post-nominal letters "OE"

On 13 April 2022 Patterson resigned as a Privy Council of the United Kingdom, Privy Council member.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, P. J. 1935 births Living people Alumni of the London School of Economics Alumni of the University of London Alumni of University of London Worldwide Finance ministers of Jamaica 20th-century Jamaican lawyers Jamaican Queen's Counsel Jamaican republicans People educated at Calabar High School People from Hanover Parish People's National Party (Jamaica) politicians Prime Ministers of Jamaica Recipients of the Order of Excellence of Guyana Recipients of the Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo Recipients of the Order of the Nation Tourism ministers of Jamaica University of the West Indies alumni 20th-century Jamaican politicians 21st-century Jamaican politicians People who resigned from the Privy Council of the United Kingdom