David Thompson (Barbadian politician)

6th Prime Minister of Barbados

David John Howard Thompson ( born December 25, 1961 in London, † 23 October, 2010 Mapps, St. Philip, Barbados ) was a Barbadian lawyer and politician. Most recently, he was from 2008 until his death Prime Minister.

Life

David Thompson was born as the third child of Margaret and Charles Thompson, who came from Barbados. In 1966 he returned with his family on the island nation. Thompson graduated in 1979 Combermere School now and then studied law at the University of the West Indies ( UWI ). Already during his studies, which he was to conclude in 1984, he became involved in politics and was chairman of the youth organization of the Socialist Democratic Labour Party (DLP ). In 1986, he joined the law firm of Errol Walton Barrow, founder of the DLP and at the time, Prime Minister.

After the death of Barrows in 1987, Thompson entered actively into politics and won a by-election in his seat in parliament. Four years later he was Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Minister of Community Development and Culture, while he was promoted to Minister of Finance 1993/94. In June 1994 he released Sandiford from DLP as party leader.

While the DLP had by early elections in 1994 lost power to the Barbados Labour Party ( BLP ) under Sandiford, Thompson was elected in November 2005 as the new party president and prevailed against Clyde Mascoll.

In January 2008, his Democratic Labour Party won the early parliamentary elections against the Barbados Labour Party. A day later, on January 16, Thompson was introduced as Prime Minister of Barbados, succeeding Owen Arthur ( BLP ). Until September 2010, he was also responsible for the Treasury.

Thompson was married and the father of three daughters since 1989. On 23 October 2010 he died at the age of 48 from pancreatic cancer.