Senator
the Honourable John Jeremie
Mr. John Jeremie S.C. served as Attorney General during the 8th
Republican Parliament, succeeding Mrs. Glenda Morean-Phillip, who
was appointed High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
Mr. Jeremie was a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the
University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad. In 2008 he
again succeeded Mrs. Glenda Morean-Phillip when he was appointed
High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
On May 29, 2009 Mr. Jeremie was appointed Attorney General in the
9th Republican Parliament, replacing Mrs. Bridgid Annisette-George.
The
Honourable Bridgid Annisette-George
Mrs. Bridgid Annisette-George was appointed a Senator and Attorney
General on November 8, 2007 and thus became the third woman to hold
this post in the history of Trinidad and Tobago, following Mrs.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Mrs. Glenda Morean-Phillip. An alumnus of
St. Joseph’s Convent, Port-of-Spain, Mrs. Annisette-George is also a
graduate of the University of the West Indies, having obtained her
Bachelors of Law from in 1981. Before taking up the portfolio of
Attorney General, Mrs. Annisette-George was the sole practitioner at
Messrs. G.R. Annisette & Co. Mrs. Annisette-George has also held a
wide variety of positions in both the private and public sector
including Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission of
Trinidad and Tobago (2003), Chairman of the Diego Martin Regional
Corporation (1999-2003) and associate tutor/lecturer at the Hugh
Wooding Law School. She entered Parliament with some 24 years of
experience as an Attorney-at-law.
Her Excellency Glenda
Patricia Morean-Phillip
Mrs. Morean-Phillip became the second woman to hold the
office of Attorney General between December, 2001 and November 2003.
Mrs. Morean-Phillip is currently High Commissioner for the Republic
of Trinidad and Tobago to the United States of America and Mexico.
Mrs. Morean-Phillip achieved many milestones, including being the
first Trinidad and Tobago born woman in her country to qualify as a
Solicitor. She was also the first female to hold the position of
President of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago and achieved
yet another milestone for women in her country by being the longest
serving Attorney General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
Interestingly Mrs. Morean-Phillip also took a keen interest in the
sport of tennis by becoming the first female president of the Tennis
Association of Trinidad and Tobago from 1991 to 1997.
The Honourable Ramesh
Lawrence Maharaj
Mr. Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj is the
Political Leader of National Team Unity, a political party in
Trinidad and Tobago. He was Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago
between February, 1996 and October, 2001. He studied law in England
and was admitted to the Bar in November 1966. Maharaj began building
his reputation as a human rights lawyer in the 1980s; his most
notorious clients were the Jamaat al Muslimeen. In an interesting
note, Mr. Maharaj at one time was studying to become a Presbyterian
Minister at the St Andrews Theological College in San Fernando
before he decided to study law.
The Honourable Kamla
Persad-Bissessar
The Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar made history in
Trinidad and Tobago when she became the first female Attorney
General where she served two terms in office. The first time she
held the position was from November 1995 to February 1996. She
served her second term from October 2001 to December, 2001. Mrs.
Persad-Bissessar is currently the Member of Parliament for Siparia,
a seat she has held for the past fifteen years having been elected
since 1995. She began her education at the Mohess Road Hindu School,
Erin Road Presbyterian School and Siparia Union Presbyterian School
and her secondary education was at the first and only Presbyterian
co-ed institution in Trinidad and Tobago – Iere High School, Siparia.
She later moved to Norwood Technical College, London, to begin her
tertiary education and thereafter the University of the West Indies
at Mona and then Cave Hill. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (Hons.),
a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of the West Indies and
a Diploma in Education and pursued studies in the Masters of
Education. She became a high school teacher, both in Trinidad and
Tobago and Jamaica, and at age 25, became one of the youngest
university lecturers at UWI, Mona Campus. The Honorable Kamla
Persad-Bissessar replaced the Common Entrance Exams with the
Secondary Entrance Assessment which is today a successful transition
tool from primary to secondary education.
On January 24th, 2010 Mrs.
Persad-Bisessar was elected Political Leader of the United National
Congress and on February 25th 2010 Opposition Leader. She went to become the leader of the “People’s
Partnership”- a five opposition party team comprising the UNC, COP,
TOP, MSJ and NJAC that swept the polls at the May 24th
General Election. On Tuesday May 26, 2010, Mrs. Persad-Bissessar
created history yet again, becoming the first woman to hold the
office of Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
The Honourable Keith Sobion
Mr. Sobion held the office of
Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago during the years of
1991-1995. After attending St Mary’s College, he went on to study at
the University of the West Indies. He then attended Hugh Wooding Law
School and gained his Legal Education Certificate. He was a senior
member of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago. He was also an
ardent sports fanatic involved the Harvard Sports and had a keen
interest in football, cricket and chess.
The Honourable Anthony Smart
Former leader and founding member of
the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) and co-founder and
first full-time General secretary of the Organization for National
Reconstruction (ONR), Mr. Anthony Smart served as Attorney General
of Trinidad and Tobago from 1989-1991. After finishing his BA at the
University of Toronto he went on to study law at the College of Law,
Surrey, England. Along with serving as Attorney General he also held
the office of Minister of Legal affairs. He was in the Office of the
Prime Minister. Mr. Smart interestingly is an ardent golf player and
a member of the St Andrew’s Golf Club.
The
Honourable Selwyn A. Richardson
Mr. Selwyn A. Richardson served as
Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago on two different occasions
firstly for five years from 1976 to 1981 and then from 1986-1989.
Mr. Richardson studied law in England and upon his return to
Trinidad and Tobago he practiced law for several years and then
joined the People's National Movement (PNM). Leaving politics behind
for a while he was appointed Chairman of the Airports Authority of
Trinidad and Tobago. He also held the position of Director of the
T&T Telephone Company. Upon his return to politics in 1986, after
serving his second term as Attorney General, he became the Minister
of National Security with the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR)
in 1990. Some interesting facts to note about Mr. Richardson are
that he was once a member of the Police service before he left for
England to study law. He was also one of the members of
Parliament that was in the Red House during the attempted coup.
The
Honourable Russell Martineau
Mr. Russell Martineau S.C. was born
on February 7th 1945. Mr. Martineau S.C.. served as Attorney General
of Trinidad and Tobago for 5 years from 1981 to 1986. A former
member of the Law Commission. He was also a tutor at the Hugh
Wooding Law School and a former part-time lecturer in Commercial Law
at the University of the West Indies. He most recently served as the
President of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago.
The
Honourable Basil Pitt
Mr. Benjamin Llewellyn Basil Pitt was
born on August 9th 1924 in the Sister Isle of Tobago. During his
school days he attended the Bishop’s High School in Tobago. He then
went on to study law at the Inns of Court in London, England. He
returned to Trinidad and Tobago and was called to the bar in 1960.
Mr. Pitt held several government ministerial positions which
included Minister of National Security as well as the Minister of
Legal Affairs. He served as the Attorney General of Trinidad and
Tobago for 3 years from 1973-1976.
The Honourable Karl Terrence
Hudson-Phillips
Mr. Karl Hudson-Phillips Q.C took up the office of Attorney
General between the years of 1969 and 1973. After attending Queen’s
Royal College he studied law at the Cambridge University in the UK
and practiced law in various jurisdictions spanning the UK and
several Caribbean Islands including Barbados and St. Vincent. On his
return to Trinidad and Tobago he lectured at the University of The
West Indies from 1961-1963. In 1980 he founded the Organization for
National Reconstruction, a political party which contested the 1981
General Elections. Despite getting the second-highest vote tally in
the election, the ONR failed to secure a single seat in Parliament.
Mr. Hudson-Phillips was also the President of the Law Association in
Trinidad and Tobago. For a spark of interest Mr. Hudson Phillips was
also the lead attorney in the high profile murder trial of the Prime
Minister of Grenada, Maurice Bishop.
The Honourable George Armsby
Richards
Mr. George A. Richards served as the Attorney General of
Trinidad and Tobago in 1962 for seven years till his tenure ended in
1967. He first attended the Belmont Boys R.C. Primary School then
went on to study abroad at the Tutorial College, London and the
University of London where he studied Law and was called to the Bar
in 1940. After Studying in London Mr. Richards returned to Trinidad
and Tobago and became a member of the San Fernando Borough Council.
He was the Foundation member of the West Indian National Party in
1942. It is very interesting to note that George Richards was born
in our neighboring Caribbean Island of St Vincent.