Robert Vaughan Barritt ( – June 21, 2015) was a Bermudian artist, painter and politician. He served in the

House of Assembly of Bermuda The House of Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. The house has 36 Members of Parliament (MPs), elected for a term of five years in single seat constituencies using first-past-the-post voting ...

from 1985 to 1989 representing Pembroke East Central, marking the only time that the United Bermuda Party (UBP) held that particular constituency. Barritt held the post of Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs during his tenure in the House of Assembly. Barritt was later appointed to the

Senate of Bermuda The Senate of Bermuda is the upper house of the Parliament of Bermuda, the other being the House of Assembly. The Senate consists of eleven members appointed by the Governor for five-year terms — five Senators are nominated by the Premier, t ...

as a member of the UBP. He was a member of the Barritts, a prominent Bermudian political and business family which owns

Barritt's Ginger Beer Barritt's Ginger Beer is a brand of ginger beer produced in Bermuda by John Barritt & Son Ltd. It was first marketed in 1874. Barritt's is traditionally drunk on its own as a soft drink or as a mixer, famously half of the Dark 'N' Stormy cockt ...

Biography

Barritt attended MSA and the Saltus Grammar School in

Hamilton, Bermuda The City of Hamilton, in Pembroke Parish, is the territorial capital of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is the territory's financial centre and a major port and tourist destination. Its population of 854 (2016) is one of the sm ...

. He moved to New Brunswick, Canada, to study

fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...

Mount Allison University Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Like other liberal arts colleges in North America, Mount Allison does not parti ...

in Sackville. In 1950, Barritt returned to Bermuda to take a position at his family's ginger beer business, John Barritt & Son Ltd. However, he continued to paint, specialising in oil paintings. Many of his paintings focused on Bermuda's Civil Rights Movement. Barritt was one of a small group of white Bermudians who spoke out in favour of universal suffrage of the island. He joined an all- Afro-Bermudian basketball team to draw attention to desegregation efforts. Despite his involvement in social issues, Barritt remained reluctant and "unsure" about politics. He did not join the United Bermuda Party (UBP) until 1972. In 1985, Barritt and fellow UBP candidate, Lawson Map, were elected to the

from the Pembroke East Central

constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...

. The election marked the first, and only, time that the UBP held the Pembroke East Central seats in the House of Assembly. Barritt served in House of Assembly from 1985 until 1989. Barritt also served as the Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs under

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

John Swan during his tenure in the Assembly. He was later appointed as a UBP member of the

. Robert Barritt donated three of his paintings to the

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. His three works gifted to the National Gallery were ; ''Theatre Boycott, Upstairs Right'' (1959), ''Two Weeks Before Christmas and Government House'' (1960), and ''Descent from the Cross'' (1961). When describing his paintings in 2008, Barritt said, "I'm a painter of the three R's. Not reading, writing and arithmetic. Rum, race and religion." Gary Phillips, Chairman of the Bermuda National Gallery, has described Barritt's as imbued with a "sense of 'equality, tolerance and peace'." Robert Vaughn Barritt died on June 21, 2015, at the age of 88. He was predeceased by his late wife, Grace Elizabeth Barritt. Premier of Bermuda Michael Dunkley and former Premier John Swan paid tribute to Barritt following his death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barritt, Robert 2015 deaths Bermudian artists Bermudian painters United Bermuda Party politicians Government ministers of Bermuda Members of the House of Assembly of Bermuda Members of the Senate of Bermuda Mount Allison University alumni People from Pembroke Parish 1920s births