Sir Ellis Clarke | |
|---|---|
 Behind himself in 2010 | |
| 1stPresident of Trinidad and Tobago | |
| In office 1 August 1976 – 19 March 1987 | |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Elizabeth II asQueen of Trinidad and Tobago |
| Succeeded by | Noor Hassanali |
| 2ndGovernor-General of Trinidad and Tobago | |
| In office 15 September 1972 – 1 August 1976 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Eric Williams |
| Preceded by | Solomon Hochoy |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished (himself as President of Trinidad and Tobago) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1917-12-28)28 December 1917 |
| Died | 30 December 2010(2010-12-30) (aged 93) Maraval, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Nationality | Trinidadian |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | University College London |
Sir Ellis Emmanuel Innocent ClarkeTCGCMG (28 December 1917 – 30 December 2010)[1] was the firstPresident of Trinidad and Tobago and lastGovernor-General. He was one of the main architects ofTrinidad and Tobago's 1962 Independence constitution.
Ellis Clarke attendedSaint Mary's College inPort of Spain, winning an Island Scholarship in Mathematics in 1938. He attendedUniversity College London of theUniversity of London, where he received aBachelor of Law degree and was called to the bar atGray's Inn. He returned to Port of Spain in 1941, taking up private practice there.[2]
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Clarke served as Solicitor-General from 1954 to 1956, Deputy Colonial Secretary 1956–57, andAttorney General 1957–62. After Independence in 1962, he served asAmbassador to the United States, Canada andMexico, and Permanent Representative to the United Nations. At the time, he participated in the2nd Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement inCairo in 1964.[3]
In 1972, he succeeded SirSolomon Hochoy asGovernor General. WhenTrinidad and Tobago became a republic in 1976, Clarke was unanimously elected the country's firstPresident by theelectoral college, which comprised the elected members of both Houses of Parliament. He was re-elected by thePeople's National Movement-controlled electoral college and completed his second term in 1987. Disagreements with the newNational Alliance for Reconstruction government resulted in Clarke's decision not to seek a third term. He was succeeded byNoor Hassanali.
Clarke was invested as aCompanion of St Michael and St George byQueen Elizabeth II in 1960 and was awarded aknighthood as a Knight Grand Cross of that order in 1972. Although he ceased to use the titleSir after the country became a republic, after retirement from the presidency he re-adopted his title and was generally referred to as "Former President, Sir Ellis Clarke" or Sir Ellis.
He was married to Lady Ermyntrude Clarke (1921–2002) for almost fifty years.[4] They had three children: Peter Ellis Clarke (married toSuzanne Traboulay, a former beauty queen), Margaret-Ann (married to Gordon Fisken) and Richard (who died as a young child).
Ellis Clarke was one of six experts worldwide asked to submit reports to Australia'sRepublic Advisory Committee in 1993 detailing his country's experience in moving from aconstitutional monarchy to a republic.[5]
On 24 November 2010, Clarke suffered a massivestroke.[6] He died on 30 December 2010, two days after his 93rd birthday.[7] Clarke was laid to rest on 7 January 2011. A private funeral was held at the Church of the Assumption on Maraval Road in Port of Spain. Both his living children as well as his four grandsons gave tributes.
Following the private funeral, a state funeral was held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts Building situated at theQueen's Park Savannah. It was an inter-religious celebration at which the President, Prime Minister and Chief Justice paid tributes. In attendance were members of Parliament, senators, members of the diplomatic corps, and foreign heads of state and dignitaries. A procession through Port of Spain followed the service. Sir Ellis'a coffin, draped in a Trinidad and Tobago flag, was set atop a cannon and pulled by a military vehicle. The procession concluded atLapeyrouse Cemetery, where he was buried at the Clarke family plot, which burial was attended by family and friends.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Governor-General of Trinidad and Tobago 1972–1976 | Office abolished |
| Preceded by | President of Trinidad and Tobago 1976–1987 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
