Sir Rodney Errey Lawrence Williams, (born 2 November 1947) is the current and 4th Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda.

Early life

Rodney is the son of Ernest Emmanuel Williams, the former

Antigua Labour Party The Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) is a political party in Antigua and Barbuda. The current leader of the party is Gaston Browne, who serves as the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. The party had previously been led by Lester Bird ...

(ALP) parliamentary representative for the St Paul constituency and Irene B. Williams, a professional educator in Antigua and Barbuda.

Education

Williams attended the Antigua Grammar School in St. John's, upon graduating he taught at his alma mater for a year. He then studied medicine at the

University of the West Indies, Mona The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...

, where he received his

MBBS Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United Kin ...

degree in Medicine and Surgery in 1976. From 1978, after completing his Internship at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estima ...

, he pursued his private medical practice in Antigua & Barbuda.

Early career

Rodney entered politics in 1984 as the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for the St Paul constituency, that had been previously represented by his father. Between 1992 and 2004, he served in the cabinet as a minister, holding variously or jointly the portfolios of education, culture, technology, economic development, tourism, and environment. He represented St Paul up to 2004 when he lost his seat in the 2004 general election, when his Antigua Labour Party lost to the United Progressive Party.

Minister of Education, Culture and Technology

After the

's victory at the 1994 General Elections, Prime Minister

Lester Bird Sir Lester Bryant Bird KNH (21 February 1938 – 9 August 2021) was an Antigua and Barbuda politician and athlete who served as the second prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda from 1994 to 2004. He was chairman of the Antigua Labour Party (AL ...

appointed Williams as Minister of Education, Culture and Technology. He would retain this post until the end of his political career in 2004. William's most controversial decision while being Minister of Education was his decision to introduce to

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

the Board of Education Act, which introduced the Education Levy. The role of this statutory body was to provide finances for the stationery and physical supplies needed by public schools across the country. When the Bill was first tabled in the House of Representatives opposition forces marched in the high streets of St. John's, the capital city.

Governor-General

Rodney was sworn into office on 14 August 2014 as the 4th Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda.

Honours and awards

On 30 August 2014, Williams was appointed a

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

(GCMG) by Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...

in the

2014 Special Honours As part of the British honours system, the Special Honours are issued at the Queen's pleasure at any given time. The Special Honours refer to the awards of the Order of the Garter, Order of the Thistle, Order of Merit, Royal Victorian Order and the ...

. In November 2014, he received the Gold Benemerenti Medal of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George and was invested as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Francis I by Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro. On 22 December 2014, Williams was made a Knight of the Order of Saint John (KStJ), also in the

. In May 2019, Williams was awarded an honorary PhD degree from St. Mary's College of Maryland,. In January 2021, he received an honorary DSc degree from the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the ...

.14 to receive honorary doctorates at The UWI’s 2020 Graduation ceremonies
- website UWI-TV of the

References

External links

Official Government Website
Governors-General of Antigua and Barbuda 1947 births Living people Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Recipients of the Order of the Nation (Antigua and Barbuda) People from Saint Paul Parish, Antigua {{Antigua-bio-stub