Desmond Hoyte facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Desmond Hoyte
Hoyte in 1997

3rd President of Guyana
In office 6 August 1985 – 9 October 1992
Prime Minister	Hamilton Green
Vice President	Hamilton Green Mohamed Shahabuddeen Ranji Chandisingh Viola Burnham
Preceded by	Forbes Burnham
Succeeded by	Cheddi Jagan
3rd Prime Minister and First Vice President of Guyana
In office 16 August 1984 – 6 August 1985
President	Forbes Burnham
Preceded by	Ptolemy Reid
Succeeded by	Hamilton Green

Personal details
Born	(1929-03-09)9 March 1929 Georgetown, British Guiana
Died	22 December 2002(2002-12-22) (aged 73) Georgetown, Guyana
Resting place	the Botanical Gardens
Political party	People's National Congress
Spouse	Joyce Hoyte

Hugh Desmond Hoyte (born March 9, 1929 – died December 22, 2002) was an important Guyanese politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Guyana from 1984 to 1985. After that, he became the President of Guyana, serving from 1985 until 1992.

Early Life and Education
Political Career
Presidency
- 1992 General Election
After the Presidency
Personal Life
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Desmond Hoyte was born in Georgetown, the capital of what was then called British Guiana. This was on March 9, 1929. He came from a middle-class family.

He went to St Barnabas Anglican School and Progressive High School. In 1948, he started working for the government. He also worked as a teacher in Guyana and Grenada. While working, he earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree from the University of London in 1950.

In 1957, he traveled to the United Kingdom. There, he studied law and passed his bar exams. He earned his law degree (LL.B.) in 1959. In 1960, he joined a law firm with Forbes Burnham. Later, he started his own law practice. He became a leader in the Guyana Bar Association. He also advised the Guyana Trades Union Congress, which helps workers.

In 1962, he joined the General Council of the People's National Congress (PNC). This was a major political party. In 1966, he was chosen to be part of the National Elections Commission. This group oversaw the 1968 Guyanese general election.

Political Career

After being a member of the PNC's general council, Hoyte became a Member of Parliament in 1968. He quickly joined the government's cabinet.

He held several important jobs:

Home Affairs Minister: 1969 to 1970
Finance Minister: 1970 to 1972
Works and Communications Minister: 1972 to 1974
Economic Development Minister: 1974 to 1980

As Economic Development Minister, Hoyte helped move the country towards a "planned economy." This meant the government had more control over businesses. He was involved in the government taking over the bauxite and sugar industries. This happened after the 1974 Declaration of Sophia. In 1973, he became a member of the PNC's central committee.

After the December 1980 election, he became one of five vice-presidents. He was in charge of economic planning, finance, and regional development.

In August 1984, Hoyte became the Prime Minister of Guyana and first Vice President. He took over from Hamilton Green.

In 1985, Hoyte faced a very sad personal event. His two daughters, Amanda and Maxine, died in a car crash. This happened on April 30 while they were traveling to hear him speak. His sister-in-law and driver also died. His wife, Joyce, was the only survivor.

Presidency

The Presidential flag used during Desmond Hoyte's time as President.

President Desmond Hoyte meeting with U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1988.

When President Forbes Burnham died on August 6, 1985, Desmond Hoyte became the third President of Guyana. Before Burnham's death, he and other PNC members had been talking with the opposition People's Progressive Party. They wanted to find ways to unite the country and solve its problems. Hoyte said he would continue these talks. He also announced that a general election would be held on December 9. People had criticized past elections for not being fair. Hoyte agreed to make some changes to improve them.

Right after becoming President, Hoyte removed bans on imported food items. He also made it easier for Guyana to trade with other countries.

In July 1987, he welcomed Oliver Tambo, the leader of the African National Congress, for a visit. This showed Guyana's strong support for the fight against unfair rule in Southern Africa. Also in 1987, Hoyte started the Guyana Prize for Literature. This award celebrates Guyanese writers.

In 1989, Hoyte first suggested creating a special area to protect the Guyanese rainforest. This idea later became the Iwokrama Forest, a large conservation area.

Hoyte also served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1990 to 1992.

During his time as president, crime went down. However, there were still issues with corruption in the government.

Hoyte used the President's increased powers to change some policies. These policies had been started by the previous president, Forbes Burnham. They had led to high poverty and debt. Hoyte invited foreign companies to invest in Guyana. He also worked with the International Monetary Fund, an organization that helps countries with money problems. This decision made some people in his own party unhappy. During Hoyte's presidency, Guyana's important sugar industry became strong again. The Omai Mine, which was very important for the economy, also opened and started producing gold.

He also tried to improve relations between different ethnic groups in Guyana, like Afro-Guyanese and Indo-Guyanese people. Hoyte also brought back freedom of the press.

1992 General Election

1992 Guyanese general election Before the 1992 election, Hoyte announced big changes to how elections would be run. These changes were influenced by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. The reforms included:

The military could not provide election services, except for security.
Votes would be counted right where they were cast.
An independent election commission was set up.
Changes were made to ballots and ballot boxes.

These changes made the 1992 Guyanese general elections the first truly free and fair elections since 1964. Hoyte believed his party could win a fair election. On election day, it became clear that he might not win. Some PNC supporters attacked the election commission's office to try and stop the vote count. Hoyte announced that he would resign if these actions continued. This stopped the demonstration.

The election in October 1992 was won by the People's Progressive Party. Their leader was Cheddi Jagan. Hoyte accepted his defeat.

After the Presidency

Desmond Hoyte remained the leader of the PNC until he died. He also served as the Minority Leader and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.

In 1994, the PNC party split. A new party was formed by Hamilton Green. This happened after Green was removed from the PNC. He had disagreed with Hoyte about election changes and party rules. Green's new party, Good and Green Georgetown, won the local elections in Georgetown. They beat both the PNC and the PPP.

Hoyte ran for president again in 1996 and 2001. He came in second place both times.

As the opposition leader, Hoyte sometimes blocked new ideas from the ruling party. This included changes to the constitution and setting up a commission on race relations. He also tried to challenge the results of the 1997 elections. He often spoke out about Afro-Guyanese people not getting government jobs. After the 2001 elections, Hoyte's PNC refused to take their seats in parliament. Bharrat Jagdeo, the elected President, held talks with Hoyte in 2001 to try and find common ground, but they were not successful.

Desmond Hoyte passed away from heart failure in Georgetown, Guyana, on December 22, 2002. He was 73 years old. His tomb is located at the Botanical Gardens.

Personal Life

Desmond Hoyte married Joyce Noreen De Freitas in 1965. His wife, Joyce, died on February 14, 2011, at age 77. Hoyte also had a sister named Patricia. The Hoyte family lived on North Road in Georgetown. In 2016, their home was turned into a museum and library to honor him.