Charles, Dame Eugenia

▪ 2006

      Dominican lawyer and politician (b. May 15, 1919, Pointe Michel, Dominica—d. Sept. 6, 2005, Fort-de-France, Martinique), earned the nickname “Iron Lady of the Caribbean” for her uncompromising views and no-nonsense approach as prime minister of Dominica (1980–95). Charles, the granddaughter of slaves, studied in Canada and the U.K. and in 1949 became Dominica's first female lawyer. She cofounded (1968) the Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) to oppose government attempts to suppress dissent, and in 1975 she was elected to the parliament and named leader of the opposition. Two years after Dominica gained its independence (1978) from the U.K., the DFP won the general election, and Charles became the first woman prime minister in the Caribbean. In that post she fought government corruption, banned casinos, and was an effective supporter of the country's banana industry. She also oversaw rebuilding efforts following a series of hurricanes. In 1983 she made headlines for encouraging the U.S. invasion of Grenada, which was reportedly in danger of falling to communists. Charles, who was made Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1991, retired from politics in 1995.

* * *