Hugh Shearer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Most Honourable Hugh Lawson Shearer ON OJ PC
Prime Minister Shearer in the Oval Office, 11 August 1970
3rd Prime Minister of Jamaica
In office 11 April 1967 – 2 March 1972
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor-General	Sir Clifford Campbell
Preceded by	Sir Donald Sangster
Succeeded by	Michael Manley
Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party
In office 1967 – November 1974
Preceded by	Donald Sangster
Succeeded by	Edward Seaga
Deputy Prime Minister of Jamaica
In office November 1980 – February 1989
Prime Minister	Edward Seaga
Preceded by	P. J. Patterson
Succeeded by	P. J. Patterson
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade
In office 1980–1989
Prime Minister	Edward Seaga
Preceded by	P. J. Patterson
Succeeded by	David Coore
Personal details
Born	(1923-05-18)18 May 1923 Martha Brae, Trelawny, British Jamaica
Died	15 July 2004(2004-07-15) (aged 81) Kingston, Jamaica
Political party	Jamaica Labour Party
Spouses	Lunette Shearer ​ ​ (m. 1947; div. 1997)​ Denise Eldemire ​ (m. 1998)​
Children	5
Education	Howard University School of Law

Hugh Lawson Shearer (18 May 1923 – 15 July 2004) was an important Jamaican leader. He was a trade unionist, which means he worked to improve conditions for workers. He was also a politician.

He served as the 3rd Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1967 to 1972. Later, he was the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade from 1980 to 1989. This was during the time Edward Seaga was Prime Minister.

Early Life and Education

Hugh Shearer was born in Martha Brae, Trelawney, Jamaica. This area is close to the town of Falmouth. His father, James Shearer, was a former soldier. His mother, Esther Lindo, worked as a dressmaker.

Shearer attended St Simon's College. He earned a scholarship from his parish to study there. Later, he received an honorary law degree from Howard University School of Law.

Trade Union Career

In 1941, Hugh Shearer began working for a weekly newspaper. This newspaper was called the Jamaican Worker and focused on trade union news. His career in politics started in 1943. Sir Alexander Bustamante, who founded the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), became the newspaper's editor. Bustamante took Shearer under his guidance.

Shearer continued to advance within the trade union movement. In 1947, he received a special scholarship for trade union work from the government. He was named Island Supervisor for Bustamante's trade union, the BITU. Soon after, he was elected as the union's vice-president.

Political Career

Shearer was elected to the House of Representatives of Jamaica in 1955. He represented Western Kingston. He held this position for four years. In the 1959 elections, he lost his seat.

From 1962 to 1967, Shearer was a member of the Senate. During this time, he also served as Jamaica's main spokesperson for foreign affairs. He was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the United Nations. In 1967, he was elected to represent Southern Clarendon. After the death of Sir Donald Sangster, Hugh Shearer became Prime Minister on April 11, 1967.

Hugh Shearer (on platform), while Prime Minister, giving an impromptu speech at Palisadoes Airport, Kingston, to members of the Jamaica Defence Force, during a light rainstorm.

Shearer had a good relationship with the Jamaican working class. This was partly due to his earlier work with the Jamaican Worker newspaper. Most people liked him. However, in October 1968, his government banned historian Walter Rodney from returning to Jamaica. This caused a lot of anger.

On October 16, 1968, protests began. Students from the University of the West Indies campus at Mona protested peacefully. Police tried to stop them, and this led to riots. The riots, known as the Rodney Riots, spread throughout Kingston. Shearer defended the ban on Rodney. He said Rodney was a danger to Jamaica because of his political views and trips to other countries.

Shearer's time as prime minister was a good period for Jamaica. Three new alumina refineries were built. These plants process bauxite ore into alumina. Also, three large tourist resorts were constructed. These six buildings became very important for Jamaica's mining and tourism industries. These two industries are the biggest earners for the country.

During Shearer's term, many more students enrolled in secondary schools. This happened after he launched a big education campaign. Fifty new schools were built across the country. It was also due to his efforts that the Law of the Sea Authority chose Kingston for its headquarters.

In the 1972 Jamaican general election, Shearer's party, the JLP, lost. The People's National Party won more seats. Michael Manley, the leader of the People's National Party, became the new prime minister.

In 1974, Edward Seaga replaced Shearer as the leader of the JLP. From 1980 to 1989, Shearer served as deputy prime minister. He was also the minister of foreign affairs during this time. This was when Edward Seaga was prime minister.

Personal Life

While working as a journalist, Hugh Shearer married his first wife, Lunette. She was an accounting clerk. They got married on October 7, 1947. They bought a house together where they lived for many years.

By 1967, when he became prime minister, he was separated from his first wife. They had three children together.

Hugh Shearer married his second wife, Dr. Denise Eldemire, on August 28, 1998. Dr. Eldemire's father, Dr. Herbert Eldemire, was Jamaica's first Health Minister. He served from 1962 to 1972. Hugh and Denise were married for almost six years.

Death and Legacy

Hugh Shearer passed away at his home in Kingston on July 15, 2004. He was 81 years old. He was survived by his wife, Dr. Denise Eldemire, and his children: Corey Alexander, Howard, Lance, Donald, Hope, Hilary, Heather, Mischka Garel, and Ana Margaret Sanchez.

On May 14, 2009, the Bank of Jamaica announced a special plan. They would issue a new JA$5000 banknote with Hugh Shearer's picture on it. The Governor of Jamaica's Central Bank, Derick Milton Latibeaudiere, explained this in detail on May 18, 2009.

The $5000 bill with Hugh Shearer's portrait began circulating on September 24, 2009. In Jamaican slang, people often call a $5000 banknote a Shearer.

See also

In Spanish: Hugh Shearer para niños

Images for kids

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  Prime Minister Shearer in the Oval Office, 11 August 1970

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  Hugh Shearer (on platform), while Prime Minister, giving an impromptu speech at Palisadoes Airport, Kingston, to members of the Jamaica Defence Force, during a light rainstorm.