Dean Barrow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dean Barrow
SC PC
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Barrow in 2013
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| 4th Prime Minister of Belize | |
| In office 8 February 2008 – 12 November 2020 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor-General | Sir Colville Young |
| Deputy | Gaspar Vega (2008–2016) Patrick Faber (2016–2020) Hugo Patt (2020–2020) |
| Preceded by | Said Musa |
| Succeeded by | Johnny Briceño |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 30 August 1998 – 8 February 2008 |
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| Prime Minister | Said Musa |
| Preceded by | Said Musa |
| Succeeded by | Johnny Briceño |
| Member of the Belize House of Representatives for Queen's Square |
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| In office 14 December 1984 – 12 November 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Denise Barrow |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Dean Oliver Barrow
2 March 1951 Belize City, British Honduras (now Belize) |
| Political party | United Democratic Party (1984–present) |
| Spouses | Lois Young (before 2009) Kim Simplis (2009–present) |
| Alma mater | University of the West Indies at Cave Hill Norman Manley Law School University of Miami |
Dean Oliver Barrow (born March 2, 1951) is a well-known politician from Belize. He served as the fourth prime minister of Belize from 2008 to 2020. He was also the leader of Belize's United Democratic Party.
Before becoming Prime Minister, Barrow worked as a lawyer. He was Belize's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1993 to 1998. He then became the Leader of the Opposition from 1998 until his party won the election in February 2008. Barrow was elected Prime Minister in 2008. He won again in 2012 and 2015, serving three terms in total.
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Early Life and Schooling
Dean Barrow was born and grew up in Belize City. At that time, Belize was known as British Honduras. His grandfather, Ebenezer Oliver Buntin Barrow, was also a public official. He worked as a district commissioner.
Barrow went to the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. He studied economics and political science there. He also attended St. Michael's College in Belize. Later, he studied law at the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill in Barbados. He also went to Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica.
Working as a Lawyer
After finishing his studies, Dean Barrow returned to Belize in 1974. He started working as a lawyer. He joined his uncle's law firm and became a partner in 1977. Later, he started his own law firm called Barrow and Williams. His partner was Rodwell Williams.
Barrow left the firm in 2008 when he became Prime Minister. However, he still holds the title of senior partner. After leaving politics, he returned to his law firm. He now leads the litigation (court cases) department.
His Political Journey
Dean Barrow first entered politics in December 1983. He ran for a seat on the Belize City city council and won. In 1984, he was chosen to run for the Queen's Square area. He easily won against Ralph Fonseca.
Soon after, he became the Attorney-General and Minister of Foreign Affairs. This was part of the first government led by Manuel Esquivel.
In the 1989 election, Barrow won his seat again. However, his party lost the overall election. He continued his law work. In 1990, he became the deputy leader of his party.
In 1993, Barrow won his third election in a row. He returned to the government as Attorney-General and Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also became the Minister of National Security. People sometimes called him "Minister of Everything" because he was a very important spokesperson for the government.
After his party lost badly in the 1998 election, Barrow became the leader of the UDP. He also became the Leader of the Opposition. He was one of only three UDP members who won their seats that year. Barrow was re-elected to his seat in 1998 and 2003. He has since been re-elected by large majorities.
Before he retired in 2020, Barrow was the longest-serving member of his party in the Belize House. He also had the longest continuous time in office among all representatives. Only Said Musa has served longer in total.
Becoming Prime Minister of Belize
The UDP won a huge victory in the election on February 7, 2008. They won 25 out of 31 seats. Dean Barrow was sworn in as Prime Minister on February 8. He made history as the country's first black Prime Minister. On February 11, he announced his government team. He also took on the role of Minister of Finance.
The UDP won again in the 2012 election. Barrow began his second term as Prime Minister on March 9, 2012. He announced his new government team on March 12. He continued to serve as the Minister of Finance and Economic Development.
Barrow led the UDP to a third straight election win in November 2015. He had said that this would be his last election as party leader.
Leaving Politics in 2020
Dean Barrow had some health issues. He first said he would step down as prime minister by the end of 2019. However, his government team asked him to stay until the 2020 Belizean general election. He agreed to do so.
His party planned a meeting to choose a new leader. This meeting was set for February 9, 2020. Two candidates wanted to become the new leader. They were Deputy Prime Minister, Patrick Faber, and National Security Minister, John Saldivar.
Barrow also decided not to run for his House seat in Queen's Square in the 2020 election. He supported his sister, Denise "Sister B" Barrow, to take his place.
His Family Life
Dean Barrow has four children. His oldest son, Jamal Barrow, was a rapper known as Shyne. He later changed his name to Moses Michael Levi Barrow. He was elected to the Belize House of Representatives in 2020. He also became the leader of the Belize United Democratic Party and the Opposition Leader.
His second son, Anwar, runs a small lending business. His daughter, Deanne, is a lawyer. She works at her mother's law firm. Her mother is Lois Young, Barrow's first wife.
Dean Barrow married his second wife, Kim Simplis, on February 7, 2009. They have one daughter named Salima.
See also
In Spanish: Dean Barrow para niños
