Famous Politicians from Jamaica

Reference
Updated October 14, 201812 items

List of famous politicians from Jamaica, listed alphabetically with photos when available. This list of popular Jamaican politicians includes members of the government who are either active or inactive, some of who might even now be dead. These are some of the most well-known Jamaican politicians of all time, so if you're a native of Jamaica and want to work for your country then these are the people you should look up to. If you're searching for a particular politician from Jamaica, then use the "search" box to find who you're looking for.

List contains politicians like Sharon Hay-Webster and Richard Hart.

You can click on the names of these renowned politicians of Jamaica in order to get more information about each one.
  • Alexander Bustamante

    Alexander Bustamante

    Dec. at 93 (1884-1977)
    • Birthplace: Hanover Parish, Jamaica
    • Nationality: Jamaica
    Sir William Alexander Clarke Bustamante (24 February 1884 – 6 August 1977) was a Jamaican politician and labour leader, who, in 1962 became the first prime minister of Jamaica. He founded the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union following the 1938 labour riots, and the Jamaican Labour Party in 1943. Bustamante is honoured in Jamaica with the title National Hero of Jamaica in recognition of his achievements.
  • Andrew Holness
    • Birthplace: Spanish Town, Jamaica
    • Nationality: Jamaica
    Andrew Michael Holness, ON, MP (born 22 July 1972) is a Jamaican politician who has been the Prime Minister of Jamaica since 3 March 2016, following the 25 February 2016 general election. Holness previously served as Prime Minister from October 2011 to January 5, 2012. He succeeded Bruce Golding as Prime Minister, and decided to go to the polls in the 29 December 2011 general election in an attempt to get his own mandate from the Jamaican electorate. He failed in that bid, however, losing to the People's National Party led by Portia Simpson-Miller, with the PNP gaining 42 seats to the Jamaica Labour Party's 21. Following that defeat, Holness served as Leader of the Opposition from January 2012 to March 2016, when he once again assumed the position of Prime Minister.Holness is the youngest person to have become Prime Minister in Jamaica's history, as well as the country's ninth Prime Minister overall. He is also the first Prime Minister to have been born after Jamaica gained independence in 1962.
  • Desmond McKenzie

    Desmond McKenzie

    Age: 70
    • Nationality: Jamaica
    Desmond A. McKenzie, JP (born 1 December 1952) is a Jamaican politician, former mayor of the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation (KSAC), in office between July 2003 and January 2012, when he was elected as Member of Parliament for the constituency of Kingston Western. He also currently serves as the Jamaica Labour Party spokesman for urban renewal, rural development and local government. Prior to that, McKenzie, a Labour Party member, served as a Junior Spokesman of the Opposition in the Senate of Jamaica in 2002 to 2003. He was a councillor for Denham Town from 1977 to 1984 and councillor of Tivoli Gardens since 1990. McKenzie is regarded as one of Jamaica's most active mayors, noted for his direct attitude towards stopping crime. He was the youngest serving mayor in KSAC's history, taking office at the age of 50; before current Mayor Delroy Williams took office at the age of 49. McKenzie is the current vice president of the World Conference of Mayors. Desmond McKenzie has announced a major initiative to restrict selling in school property but this is controversial and interpreted by some detractors as an attack on the poor.
  • Edward Seaga
    • Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
    • Nationality: United States of America, Jamaica
    Edward Philip George Seaga ON, PC ( or ; 28 May 1930 – 28 May 2019) was a Jamaican politician. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Jamaica, from 1980 to 1989, and the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party from 1974 to 2005. He served as leader of the opposition from 1974 to 1980, and again from 1989 until January 2005. His retirement from political life marked the end of Jamaica's founding generation in active politics. He was the last serving politician to have entered public life before independence in 1962, as he was appointed to the Legislative Council (now the Senate) in 1959. Seaga is credited with having built the financial and planning infrastructure of the country after independence, as well as having developed its arts and crafts, and awareness of national heritage. As a record producer and record company owner, Seaga also played a major role in the development of the Jamaican music industry. Seaga died May 28, 2019 on his birthday.
  • Michael Manley

    Michael Manley

    Dec. at 72 (1924-1997)
    • Birthplace: Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica
    • Nationality: Jamaica
    Michael Norman Manley ON OCC (10 December 1924 – 6 March 1997) was a Jamaican politician who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1972 to 1980 and from 1989 to 1992. Coming from a prosperous background, Manley was a democratic socialist. According to opinion polls, he remains one of Jamaica's most popular prime ministers.
  • Norman Manley

    Norman Manley

    Dec. at 76 (1893-1969)
    • Birthplace: Roxborough, Manchester
    • Nationality: Jamaica
    Norman Washington Manley MM, QC, National Hero of Jamaica (4 July 1893 – 2 September 1969), was a Jamaican statesman. A Rhodes Scholar, Manley became one of Jamaica's leading lawyers in the 1920s. Manley was an advocate of universal suffrage, which was granted by the British colonial government to the colony in 1944.Encouraged by the Founder of the People's National, Osmond Theodore Fairclough, who had joined forces with the brothers Frank and Ken Hill, Hedley P. Jacobs and others in 1938, he helped to launch the People's National Party which later was tied to the Trade Union Congress and even later the National Workers Union. He led the PNP in every election from 1944 to 1967. Their efforts resulted in the New Constitution of 1944, granting full adult suffrage. Manley served as the colony's Chief Minister from 1955 to 1959, and as Premier from 1959 to 1962. He was a proponent of self-government but was persuaded to join nine other British colonies in the Caribbean territories in a Federation of the West Indies but called a referendum on the issue in 1961. Voters chose to have Jamaica withdraw from the union. He then opted to call a general election even though his five-year mandate was barely halfway through.