Frederick Ballantyne

Sir Frederick Nathaniel Ballantyne, (5 July 1936 – 23 January 2020) was the Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from 2002 to 2019. A trained cardiologist and former chief medical officer of the country, he was appointed governor-general on 22 June 2002. He succeeded Dame Monica Dacon, who had been acting in the position after the death of Charles Antrobus.

Early life and medical career Ballantyne was born on 5 July 1936, an only child. His father owned a small hotel, and he has described himself as "from a business family". Ballantyne was the first member of his family to attend high school. On the advice of an acquaintance who had studied medicine in the United States, he chose to attend university in that country (rather than in Britain or Canada, as was usual for Vincentians at the time). He completed an initial degree in chemistry at Howard University (in Washington, D.C.), and then went on to the SUNY Upstate Medical University (in Syracuse, New York) to study medicine. The "sole black individual" enrolled in the medical school, Ballantyne was elected to student government in every year of his degree, and in his final year was elected student body president. He interned in at the Montreal General Hospital after graduation, and then completed his residency in internal medicine in Rochester, New York, followed by a fellowship in cardiology. and also as president of Dimethaid International Inc., a pharmaceutical company registered in Barbados. He was also the founder of International Business Services Limited (IBS), a financial services provider now run by his son, Marcus, and a co-owner of the Young Island Resort, a tourist resort on a small island off Saint Vincent's southern coast.

Governor-General Ballantyne was sworn in as Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 22 June 2002, having been nominated to the position by the country's prime minister, Ralph Gonsalves. Later in the year 2002, in connection with his new appointment, he was created a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George by Queen Elizabeth II. In June 2009, Ballantyne was also awarded a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degree by the University of the West Indies (UWI), as one of sixteen regional figures being recognised for their contributions with honorary degrees.