Biography.guide
Home › People › Political scientist › Selwyn Ryan
Portrait of Selwyn Ryan

Selwyn Ryan

1936 – 2022

Trinidad and Tobago political scientist and pollster

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Selwyn Ryan

Lived 1936 – 2022 (aged 85–86). Selwyn Ryan was a political scientist and pollster.

Selwyn Ryan (1936 – 12 March 2022) was a Trinidad and Tobago political scientist and pollster. Ryan has been described as "the author of record for the nation's modern political history"

Early life and education Ryan was born in Princes Town, Trinidad and Tobago, to a lower-middle-class Afro-Trinidadian family. He received his primary schooling at Ste Madeleine Government School and his secondary education at Naparima College in San Fernando. He graduated from Naparima College in 1954, after completing his Ordinary-Level examinations.

Ryan was motivated by Eric Williams to further his education. After hearing Williams deliver "My Relations with the Caribbean Commission" in 1955, Ryan attended all the addresses Williams delivered in San Fernando in the run-up to the 1956 general elections. His "Constitutional Reform in Trinidad and Tobago" inspired Ryan to study history and constitutional law. Ryan enrolled in the University of Toronto in 1956 His dissertation, entitled The Transition to Nationhood in Trinidad and Tobago, focused primarily on Eric Williams and the rise of the People's National Movement. In 1973, he took a position at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, where he remained until his retirement in 2003. He was awarded the Chaconia Medal (Gold) in 2012.

Newspaper columnist Ryan was a regular newspaper columnist, and many of his scholarly publications began as columns in the Trinidad Express.

Legacy Historian Bridget Brereton described Ryan as "the author of record for the nation's modern political history" and the person who had done the most to "help the nation to learn about its modern history". Sociologist Anthony Maingot described Ryan as "the most prolific and influential intellectual in post-colonial Trinidad".

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Born
1936, Princes Town
Birth century
Education
Naparima College, University of Toronto, Cornell University
Employers
University of the West Indies St. Augustine Campus

People in Selwyn Ryan's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Selwyn Ryan's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Selwyn Ryan?

Trinidad and Tobago political scientist and pollster

When was Selwyn Ryan born?

Selwyn Ryan was born in 1936 in Princes Town.

When did Selwyn Ryan die?

Selwyn Ryan died on 12 March 2022.

What was Selwyn Ryan's occupation?

Selwyn Ryan was a political scientist and pollster.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Selwyn Ryan

· Wikidata: Q111269579

· DBpedia: Selwyn Ryan

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Selwyn Ryan. https://biography.guide/selwyn-ryan/

MLA: "Selwyn Ryan." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/selwyn-ryan/.

Chicago: "Selwyn Ryan." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/selwyn-ryan/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:19 UTC