Sir James Fitz-Allen Mitchell (15 May 1931 – 23 November 2021) was a Vincentian politician who served as the

second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ea ...

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 ...

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Se ...

from 1984 to 2000 and as the

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 ...

of Saint Vincent from 1972 to 1974. He founded the New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1975, and served as its president until 2000.

Early life

Mitchell was born in

Bequia Bequia ( or ) is the second-largest island in the Grenadines at . It is part of the country of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and is approximately from the nation's capital, Kingstown, on the main island, Saint Vincent. Bequia means "island o ...

on 15 May 1931. He was the oldest of four children born to Captain Reginald and Lois Mitchell. Reginald was lost at sea during a January 1940 voyage in the

Bermuda Triangle The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is an urban legend focused on a loosely defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysteri ...

. Lois remarried Alfred Baynes of

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Ameri ...

, leaving the children with their paternal grandmother Sarah. Some time after Mitchell left Bequia to enter St. Vincent Grammar School, his grandmother died; his younger siblings then joined their mother in

. After studying for three years at the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture in Trinidad and Tobago, Mitchell entered the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thr ...

in 1954. He graduated with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

in agriculture in 1955, majoring in Plant Science, and continued for one year of

graduate studies Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

. After graduation, Mitchell worked as an agricultural research officer for the government in Saint Vincent and Saint Lucia, then joined the Ministry of Overseas Development in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

as a scientific information officer. While in London, he married Patricia Mae in 1965; they had three daughters.

Political career

Mitchell initially entered politics in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo ...

by winning a legislative seat as a candidate of the

Saint Vincent Labour Party The Saint Vincent Labour Party was a social democratic political party in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from 1955 to 1994. It was the ruling party from 1967 to 1972 and again from 1974 until 1984. History The party was established in 1955. Nohle ...

. He was the Minister of Agriculture from

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

to 1972. In that year, Mitchell resigned from Labour and won re-election as an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

. He then became Premier with the support of the People's Political Party (PPP), serving from 1972 until 1974. After PPP leader

Ebenezer Joshua Ebenezer Theodore Joshua (23 May 1908 – 14 March 1991) was a Vincentian politician and the first chief minister of Saint Vincent from 1960 to 1967. He was the Leader of the Legislative Council from 1956 to 1961. Early life and career J ...

withdrew his party's support, Mitchell formed the

Mitchell/Sylvester Faction The Mitchell/Sylvester Faction, also known as Junta, was a political party in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It was formed by James Fitz-Allen Mitchell Sir James Fitz-Allen Mitchell (15 May 1931 – 23 November 2021) was a Vincentian poli ...

together with former PPP ministers Othniel Sylvester,

Alphonso Dennie Alphonso Alpheus Dennie (16 May 1928 - 22 September 2020) was a Vincentian educator who served as the Minister of Education, Community Development and Youth Affairs from 4 May 1972 to 18 September 1974. Outside of politics, he was the headma ...

, and others. Although Mitchell was the only successful Faction candidate in

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

, they reorganized and founded the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

(NDP) in 1975. Mitchell and the NDP became the main Parliamentary Opposition, serving until the NDP's victory in the 1984 elections. Mitchell became Prime Minister,

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 Foreign Affairs in July 1984 and was re-elected for a fourth successive term when his Party scored an 8–7 victory in the 1998 parliamentary elections. Mitchell retired as Prime Minister and NDP President in 2000 but stayed on as Senior Minister until 2001. Mitchell was also foreign minister from 1984 until 1992 and a Privy Councillor beginning in 1985. He served as the Chairman of the OECS Authority in 1988, 1995, and 1996; at the 1995 meeting, Mitchell advocated for the inclusion of

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 ...

. Mitchell led the Commonwealth observer team at the election in Lesotho in 2002. He also was a member of the InterAction Council.

Political positions

Mitchell endorsed the Grenadines becoming a separate nation from St. Vincent: in a 1984 election campaign speech, he opined that the incumbent government was continuing the colonial policy of favouring St. Vincent. He also supported greater political integration of Caribbean countries. In 1987, at the eighth conference of heads of government in the

Caribbean Community The Caribbean Community (CARICOM or CC) is an intergovernmental organization that is a political and economic union of 15 member states (14 nation-states and one dependency) throughout the Caribbean. They have primary objectives to promote eco ...

, he stated, "As I see it, we must have one flag, one anthem and freedom of movement of people, services and capital."

Role as agronomist

During his time as prime minister, Mitchell co-founded the Caribbean Agricultural Regional Development Institute (CARDI). In his opening address at the 1st Caribbean Agricultural Technology Conference (CATC) held in St Vincent and the Grenadines in 2000, Mitchell emphasized that "agriculture must thrive" and overcome regional challenges. Using the regional banana industry as an example, he pointed out that disruptions would affect not only farmers, but also related sectors such as transportation. To aid the industry, Mitchell outlined his government's policies to promote crop diversification as well as land redistribution to increase production. Mitchell wrote on a variety of issues in agriculture and Caribbean society, included the topics of fungicide usage and land reform. His autobiography ''Beyond the Islands'' was published by

Macmillan MacMillan, Macmillan, McMillen or McMillan may refer to: People * McMillan (surname) * Clan MacMillan, a Highland Scottish clan * Harold Macmillan, British statesman and politician * James MacMillan, Scottish composer * William Duncan MacMillan ...

Caribbean in 2006.

Illness, death and tributes

On 31 October 2021, Mitchell was admitted to Milton Cato Memorial Hospital in Saint Vincent due to multiple illnesses, including

gallstone A gallstone is a stone formed within the gallbladder from precipitated bile components. The term cholelithiasis may refer to the presence of gallstones or to any disease caused by gallstones, and choledocholithiasis refers to the presence of mi ...

, kidney failure and an enlarged prostate. He was later diagnosed with

dengue fever Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms typically begin three to fourteen days after infection. These may include a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic ...

. He was then flown to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Bridgetown in Barbados for advanced medical treatment on 3 November 2021, and was additionally diagnosed with

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

. On 18 November 2021, he was transferred to Port Elizabeth Hospital in Bequia. He died there five days later, on 23 November, at the age of 90. Mitchell was the last living parliamentarian to have served at independence in 1979. The government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines announced three days of national mourning through 25 November, with flags flown at

half-mast Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a salut ...

. A

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of ...

will be held at a later date. The OECS flag was flown at half-mast, while CARICOM and other regional leaders paid tributes to Mitchell. Sir Kennedy Simmonds, former

Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis The prime minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis is the head of government of the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis. The current Prime Minister is Terrance Drew since 6th August 2022. Chief Ministers (1960–1967) Elizabeth II (1960–1967 ...

, recollected their collaborations for Caribbean integration.

References