Hugh Wooding

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Sir Hugh Olliviere Beresford Wooding TC , CBE (born January 14, 1904 in Trinidad ; † July 26, 1974 ibid) was a lawyer and politician from Trinidad and Tobago .

Life

Hugh Wooding's family came from Barbados . At the age of ten, he received an award from the Queen's Royal College in Port of Spain and later a scholarship to study law at the Middle Temple in London because of his talent . In 1926 he was the first student from the Caribbean to receive the " Inns of Court Studentship " scholarship . After his legal traineeship in London, he returned to Trinidad and settled there as a lawyer, but worked throughout the Caribbean. Because of the tenacity with which he represented the interests of his clients, he was nicknamed "Tiger". He was known to work for poorer clients for a small fee or for free. From 1962 to 1968 he was the first "Chief Justice" (President of the Supreme Court) of the country that had become independent from Great Britain and was appointed " Queen's Counsel ". Wooding's advice was valued beyond the borders of his home country: for example, in 1968 he headed a commission of inquiry into the riots in Bermuda , which found that the perpetrators of the riots were young people of color who felt discriminated against by (the predominantly white) police officers and also economically felt disadvantaged compared to whites. In 1970 he chaired a committee that examined the legal situation of the Freeport free trade area in the Bahamas .

From 1941 Hugh Wooding was also involved in politics. In 1943 he was elected Mayor of Port of Spain. He was also an active Freemason and was involved in the promotion of art, but supported z. B. also the efforts of cyclists around Ferdi de Gannes and Compton Gonsalves to found an independent cycling association. In 1971 he worked on a commission for the reform of the constitution of Trinidad and Tobago. From 1971 until his death he was Chancellor of the University of the West Indies . He is also considered a pioneer and co-founder of legal training in the West Indian region.

Honors

In 1937 Hugh Wooding became Commander of the British Empire , and in 1963 he was knighted as a Knight Bachelor ("Sir"). In 1969 he was awarded what was then the highest order in Trinidad and Tobago, the Trinity Cross . The "Law School" named after him in St. Augustine , which was founded in 1973 and which trains the legal elite of Trinidad and Tobago, including the current Prime Minister Freundel Stuart (2011), is reminiscent of Sir Hugh Wooding .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Tamra B. Orr: Cultures of the World: Bermuda . 1997, p. 75 (English). The uprisings flared up again and again in the following years and culminated in the assassination of the British governor in 1973.
  2. ↑ Michael Crayton, Gail Saunders: Islanders in the Stream. A History of the Bahamian People . Vol. 2, 1998, p. 355 (English)
  3. ^ Freemasonry in Trinidad & Tobago. (PDF; 45 kB) In: Prolades.com. Retrieved April 4, 2016 .
  4. ^ Andy Jacob (ed.): Season of Renewal: Celebrating 50 Years of Independence and Caribbean Partnership . Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago, Port of Spain 2012, ISBN 978-976-8242-02-0 , pp. 77 ( issuu.com ).
  5. ↑ caribbeanavenue.com (English)
personal data
SURNAME Wooding, Hugh
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wooding, Hugh Olliviere Beresford (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Lawyer and politician from Trinidad and Tobago
DATE OF BIRTH January 14, 1904
PLACE OF BIRTH in Trinidad
DATE OF DEATH July 26, 1974
Place of death in Trinidad