Sir Samuel Weymouth Tapley Seaton, (born 28 July 1950) is the fourth and current
governor-general of Saint Kitts and Nevis
The governor-general of Saint Kitts and Nevis is the representative of the monarch of Saint Kitts and Nevis, currently King Charles III. The appointed Governor-General, currently Sir Tapley Seaton, lives in Government House, Basseterre, which s ...
. He was born on Saint Kitts, the son of William A. Seaton and his wife, Pearl A. Seaton, nee Godwin. He came to the position as Acting Governor-General after the ouster of his predecessor
Sir Edmund Wickham Lawrence on 20 May 2015. On 1 September 2015, he was officially appointed Governor-General 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 Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
on advice of
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Timothy Harris
Timothy Sylvester Harris (born 6 December 1964) is a Saint Kittitian and Nevisian politician, who served as the third prime minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis from 2015 to 2022. He previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 10 August 20 ...
.
Education
Seaton received his primary and secondary education from Epworth Junior School, the Basseterre High School, and the St. Kitts-Nevis Grammar School. He attended the
University of 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 th ...
in Jamaica and received a Bachelor of Laws, a moment that set forth his legal career. He continued further studies with the Council of Legal Education, where he gained his Certificate, and the University of Bordeaux in France, where he completed a Diploma in French.
Career
Joined the St. Kitts-Nevis Judicial Service, and served as Registrar of the Supreme Court, Provost Marshal and acting Additional Magistrate. In 1975, Seaton served as Crown Counsel for the Attorney General’s Chambers and acted as the high Court Registrar. In 1980, he took on the role of St. Kitts-Nevis Attorney General, in which he served until 1995. In 1988, he was appointed as one of Her Majesty’s Counsels (
Queen’s Counsel) in 1988. He also has the distinction of being named a Commander of the
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...
(CVO) 23 October 1985. He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished
Order of Saint Michael and Saint 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) 9 November 2015.
Aside from his official duties, Seaton has served on various Boards, National Committees and Organisations. Some of these positions included Director of SSMC, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and Frigate Bay Development Corporation; President of the St. Christopher Heritage Society (now The St. Christopher National Trust), the St. Kitts-Nevis Bar Association and the OECS Bar Association; and Vice President for the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park Society and the St. Christopher National Trust; Chairman of Cable & Wireless (formerly SCANTEL).
Awards and decorations
*
Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished
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, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III.
...
(GCMG) (9 November 2015)
*
Commander of the
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...
(CVO) (23 October 1985)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seaton, Tapley
1950 births
Governors-General of Saint Kitts and Nevis
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order
Living people
Attorneys General of Saint Kitts and Nevis
British Saint Christopher and Nevis people
British colonial attorneys general in the Americas
Justices of the peace
Saint Kitts and Nevis Queen's Counsel
20th-century Saint Kitts and Nevis lawyers
21st-century Saint Kitts and Nevis lawyers