Eugenia Charles
Eugenia Charles | |
|---|---|
Charles in 1985 | |
| 2nd Prime Minister of Dominica | |
| In office 21 July 1980 – 14 June 1995 | |
| President | Aurelius Marie Clarence Seignoret Crispin Sorhaindo |
| Deputy | Anthony Moise Charles Maynard |
| Preceded by | Oliver Seraphin |
| Succeeded by | Edison James |
| Member of Parliament for Roseau Central | |
| In office 24 March 1975 – 14 June 1995 | |
| Succeeded by | Charles Savarin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 May 1919 Pointe Michel, Dominica |
| Died | 6 September 2005 (aged 86) Fort-de-France, Martinique |
| Resting place | Pointe Michel, Dominica |
| Party | Freedom Party |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto London School of Economics |
Dame Mary Eugenia Charles (15 May 1919 – 6 September 2005) was a Dominican politician who was Prime Minister of Dominica from 21 July 1980 until 14 June 1995. The first woman lawyer in Dominica, she was Dominica's first, and to date only, woman prime minister. She was the second woman prime minister in the Caribbean after Lucina da Costa of the Netherlands Antilles. She was the first woman in the Americas to be elected in her own right as head of government. She served for the second longest period of any Dominican prime minister, and was the world's fifth longest-serving woman prime minister or head of government, behind Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, Angela Merkel of Germany and Indira Gandhi of India.
She was also described as the "Iron Lady of the Caribbean".