Cecil Wallace Whitfield

Sir Cecil Vincent Wallace Whitfield (20 March 1930 – 9 May 1990) was a Bahamian national, politician, and a founding member and first leader of the Free National Movement political party. He also served as a Minister in the cabinet of Lynden Pindling from 1967 to 1970 and as a longtime member of the Bahamian Parliament.

Early life Cecil Vincent Wallace Whitfield was born on 20 March 1930 in Nassau to Kenneth Whitfield and Dorothy Wallace. He studied at the Government High School. He was a customs officer before studying law at University of Hull.

Career Originally a custom's officer, Wallace Whitfield started his political career in the early 1950s when he joined the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP). In 1967 he was Chairman of the PLP and joined the House of Assembly as an MP representing the St. Agnes constituency as a representative for the PLP.

In January 1967, Wallace Whitfield was selected to join Lynden Pindling's cabinet during his term as Premier, first serving as Minister of Works before serving as Minister of Education and later Culture. He had a key role in developing infrastructure throughout The Bahamas, particularly in the "over-the-hill" communities in New Providence in the late 1960s.

When Pindling was elected as the Bahamas' first Prime Minister in 1969, Wallace Whitfield rejoined Pindling's cabinet as Minister of Education. While Minister of Education, he initiated a massive school construction project to help develop the Bahamian education system. However, during Pindling's term as Prime Minister, Wallace Whitfield remained an outspoken critic of Pindling and his perceived authoritarianism. This led to his resignation from the cabinet and the PLP in 1970. In 1971, he stood as Leader of the Opposition in the Bahamas.

Wallace-Whitfield was selected as the first leader of the Free National Movement, which he served as until 1972. Under his leadership, the FNM won nine seats in Parliament in the 1972 election, however Wallace-Whitfield himself was not elected. As a result, he was replaced as leader of the FNM by Kendal Isaacs. He was posthumously awarded Order of the National Hero in 2018. His face is featured on all five-dollar Bahamian dollar bills. The Cecil Wallace Whitfield Centre corporate complex in Nassau which houses the Ministry of Finance and Office of the Prime Minister is named in his honor. The Free National Movement Headquarters in Grand Bahama is also named the Cecil Wallace Whitfield Centre.