Vere Bird
Sir Vere Bird | |
|---|---|
Bird in 1986 | |
| 1st Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda | |
| In office 1 November 1981 – 9 March 1994 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governors-General | |
| Preceded by | Himself (as Premier) |
| Succeeded by | Lester Bird |
| 1st Premier of Antigua | |
| In office 29 February 1976 – 1 November 1981 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor | Wilfred Jacobs |
| Preceded by | George Walter |
| Succeeded by | Himself (as Prime Minister) |
| In office 27 February 1967 – 14 February 1971 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor | Wilfred Jacobs |
| Preceded by | Himself (as Chief Minister) |
| Succeeded by | George Walter |
| Chief Minister of Antigua | |
| In office 1 January 1960 – 27 February 1967 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Himself (as Premier) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 December 1909 |
| Died | 28 June 1999 (aged 89) St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda |
| Party | Labour |
Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox officeholder with deprecated parameter "honorific-prefix". Replace with "honorific_prefix".
Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox officeholder with deprecated parameter "honorific-suffix". Replace with "honorific_suffix".
Sir Vere Cornwall Bird KNH (9 December 1909 – 28 June 1999) was the first Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. His son, Lester Bryant Bird, succeeded him as prime minister. In 1994, he was declared a "National Hero".
Bird was an officer in the Salvation Army for two years. In 1943, he became the president of the Antigua Trades and Labour Union. He achieved national acclaim politically for the first time when he was elected to the colonial legislature in 1945. He formed the Antigua Labour Party and became the first and only chief minister, first and last premier, and first prime minister from 1981 to 1994. His resignation was due to failing health and internal issues within the government.