Henry de Boulay Forde

Sir Henry de Boulay Forde (20 March 1933 – 15 October 2024) was a Barbadian politician and lawyer who served as the Leader of the Opposition from 1986 to 1989 and from 1991 to 1993. He also served as leader of the Barbados Labour Party from 1986 to 1993 and as the Attorney-General of Barbados from 1976 to 1981.

Early life

Henry de Boulay Forde was born on 20 March 1933 on Water Street, Christ Church, Barbados to a working class family and attended Christ Church Boys’ Foundation School for the start of his secondary education,

Political career

Forde began his political career in the 1960s, having a hand in negotiations that led to Barbados's independence in 1966. He won the Christ Church West seat in 1971, a seat he would hold for the next 30 years until 2003. He would then be appointed Minister of External Affairs and Attorney-General of Barbados in 1976, serving until 1981 in the Tom Adams administration. After Tom Adams' death, and Bernard St. John's premiership ended with the 1986 Barbadian general election he would assume leadership of the BLP in 1986 and the position as Leader of the Opposition until 1989 when Richard Christopher Haynes broke away from the then in-power Democratic Labour Party with some other DLP members, forming the National Democratic Party which became the second largest party in the House of Assembly of Barbados making Haynes the new leader of the opposition. After the 1991 Barbadian general election he would then again become opposition leader until 1993, stepping down as BLP leader due to poor health.

In 1996, Forde would chair the commission inquiry, the Constitution Review Commission which reviewed the Constitution of Barbados in regards to preparing for Barbados to become a republic. The commission held public hearings in Barbados and overseas.