Hilda Bynoe

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Hilda Bynoe
BornNovember 18, 1921
DiedApril 6, 2013

Dame Hilda Louisa Bynoe,

Governor of Grenada between 1967 and 1972.[1][2]

A doctor and hospital administrator, Bynoe was, so far, the only woman to have been a governor of one of the British Dependencies, Hilda Bynoe was the first woman Governor of a Commonwealth of Nations country, becoming Governor of Grenada, Cariacou and Petit Martinique. She spent most of her adult life as a teacher and doctor of medicine in Trinidad and Tobago.[3]

Early life and career

Born in

Port of Spain, Trinidad, as a science student. In 1944 she left for Europe to study Medicine and graduated from the University of London's Royal Free Hospital, then the London School of Medicine for Women, in 1951.[1]

Governor of Grenada

In June 1968, she was appointed

Queen Elizabeth II
in 1969.

In January 1974, following demonstrations calling for her resignation, Bynoe made a speech over the radio calling for public support. The Prime Minister, Eric Gairy, advised the Queen to dismiss Bynoe, accusing Bynoe of attempting to undermine the Premier's authority to recommend the appointment and dismissal of governors. Gairy then requested permission to retire from the Queen, which was granted.

Personal life

Hilda Bynoe met and married Peter Cecil Alexander Bynoe, a Trinidadian

RAF Officer; they had two sons, Roland and Michael. The Bynoe family returned to the West Indies in 1953 and Hilda Bynoe served in Guyana and Trinidad for the next fifteen years.[4]

In 1990, she retired to continue her writing and to assist in the care of her granddaughters Olukemi and Nandi. She continued as Patroness of several organizations, including the Caribbean College of Family Physicians, the John Hayes Memorial Kidney Foundation and the Caribbean Women’s Association. She died, aged 91, in Trinidad.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b Cambridge, Ucill (17 March 2013). "First female Grenadian governor Bynoe dies at 91". The Trinidad Guardian. Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  2. ^ "Dame Hilda Bynoe". Caribbean Community Secretariat. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Dame Hilda Bynoe, Grenada's First Governor Dies". The Gleaner. Kingston, Jamaica. 8 April 2013. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  4. ^ Neaves, Julien (12 April 2013). "Bynoe hailed as 'Federation' champion". Trinidad Express Newspaper. Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. Retrieved 11 March 2015.

Further reading

External links

Government offices
Preceded by
Governor of Grenada

1968–1974
Succeeded by