Eileene L. Parsons

Eileene Lucia Parsons OBE, (5 July 1930 – 22 June 2025) was a British Virgin Islander politician who served as a member of the House of Assembly of the British Virgin Islands, including as Minister for of Health, Education and Welfare, Deputy Premier and Deputy Speaker during the course of her political career. She was one of the first women ministers and the first deputy speaker of that government. In local press, she is frequently referred to as being a "cultural icon" for her work with the BVI Heritage Dance Company and other local cultural groups.

Background Eileen Parsons was born to Virginia Parrott Fahie and James Elmore Stevens on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, but some time later she went to live with her mother's sister Constancia Parrott. She and her aunt moved to St Thomas where she attended Charlotte Amalie High School.

Parsons's higher education continued in Puerto Rico where she earned a diploma in dressmaking and attended Oswego State Teachers College (now State University of New York at Oswego) where she studied Industrial Arts and Spanish. Parsons also trained at the Leeward Islands Teachers College and took an associate degree at the University of the Virgin Islands. At the Florida International University, she studied for a bachelor's degree in tourism promotion.

Parsons died at a hospital in Road Town, on 22 June 2025, at the age of 94.

Work Parsons worked as a teacher in the British Virgin Islands between 1959–65, then for the next thirty years as the secretary to the Commissioner of Education for the Islands, along with the Dean of the University of the Virgin Islands, and the Tourist Board. She joined the opposition for five years and then joined the Virgin Islands Party and sat on the Government back benches for another two. In 1997, she became the Minister of Health, Education and Welfare, the first time a woman had been appointed a minister in the British Virgin Islands. She became deputy premier two years later.

At the next election, she stood for the National Democratic Party and became Deputy Speaker. Her views continued to be sought after she had retired from politics, with her expressing a lack of interest in the prospect of the British Virgin Islands' potential independence from the United Kingdom.

Honours and recognition Parsons was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2013 Birthday Honours list for "services to education and to the community in the British Virgin Islands".

The Eileene L. Parsons Auditorium at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College was named in honour of Parsons.

Comments After her retirement Parsons occasionally came into the public eye in relation to controversial comments that she made. In January 2015, she reportedly cursed at Andrew Fahie, the House of Assembly member for the 1st district, and then refused to apologise. In February 2016, in response to a question about a reported 137% budget overrun on public project which had been the subject of much public criticism, she suggested that this was normal and it should not be a source of concern.

Electoral history

+ Eileene L. Parsons electoral historyYear District Party Votes Percentage Winning/losing margin Result1983 5th District Independent154 33.2% -33 LostC. Romney1986 5th District Independent158 36.2% -26 LostC. Romney1990 5th District Independent 254 39.2% -47 LostC. Romney 1995 At-large Independent 1,675 8.59% +240* Won (1st)1999 At-large Virgin Islands Party 2,288 9.56% +631* Won (4th)2003 At-large National Democratic Party 3,515 11.35% +241* Won (3rd)* For at-large candidates (general elections) who won, this is the vote differential from the 5th placed candidate (i.e. the candidate with the highest number of votes who was not elected). For at-large candidates who lose, this is the vote differential from the 4th placed candidate (i.e. the candidate with the lowest number of votes who was elected).