In
1949, he successfully contested an election for the Long Island
and Ragged Island seat in the legislature.
In
November 1953, he co-founded and organized the Progressive Liberal
Party of The Bahamas, the first united political party in the country.
Between
1953 and 1963, Sir Henry was unanimously elected each year as national
party chairman by the National General Council of the P. L. P. In
1963, when he relinquished the post of national party chairman,
he was unanimously elected honorary chairman of the party for life.
In
July, 1956 Sir Henry was instrumental in having Mr. Lynden O. Pindling
elected by the National General Council as the first Parliamentary
Leader. Mr. Pindling went on to become Prime Minister the Right
Honourable Sir Lynden Pindling.
In
that year, Sir Henry successfully led the first citizen's delegation
to London from The Bahamas. He was accompanied by Sir Lynden and
the late Sir Milo Butler, who became the first Bahamian Governor-General
of The Bahamas. The purpose of that meeting was to discuss political
conditions in the then colony.
On
20 May 1960, Sir Henry successfully contested an election in the
Eastern District of New Providence, receiving more votes than any
candidate in any previous Bahamian election. In November of that
year, Sir Henry led another successful delegation to London. This
time, he was championing the right of women to vote in Bahamian
elections. He was accompanied by the late Dame Dr. Doris Johnson
and Mrs. Eugenia Lockhart. Shortly after their return, women received
the right to vote and exercised it in the 1962 general election.
In
1961 and 1962, Sir Henry was appointed a member of the Development
(Tourist) Board. He accompanied the chairman of the Board on two
occasions to Britain and the Continent in the interest of increased
tourism to The Bahamas.
In
1966, he was presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the
occasion of her first visit to The Bahamas.
Between
1968 and 1978, Sir Henry resided in Florida where he began work
on his memoirs. At the P.L.P.'s silver jubilee convention in November
1978, he was honoured for co-founding the party.
In
February 1979, he was appointed by The Bahamas government to the
post of editor of the Hansard.
Sir
Henry was awarded the honour of Knight Bachelor on 1 January 1980,
in the Queen's New Years Honour's List. This honour, conferred on
him by the Queen at Buckingham Palace, London, on 25 July carried
with it the title of "Sir".
On
24 July 1981, he was appointed Deputy to the Governor-General of
The Bahamas, while His Excellency Sir Gerald Cash, the then Governor-General
attended the royal wedding of Prince Charles.
Sir
Henry also served as Deputy to the Governor-General on several occasions,
between 1981 and 1988, when Sir Gerald was out of the country.
On
25 June 1988, Sir Henry was appointed Acting Governor-General of
The Bahamas on the retirement of Sir Gerald. He was sworn in as
Acting Governor-General by Chief Justice Telford Georges on 26 June
1988.
Nearly
three years later, on 8 April 1991, Sir Henry was sworn in by Chief
Justice Joaquim Gonsalves-Sabola as Governor-General of the Commonwealth
of The Bahamas, becoming the third Bahamian to hold this post. Sir
Henry retired on 1 January 1992.
Sir
Henry was married in 1962 to the former Elua Mae Sisco of Acadia,
Florida. He has four daughters by a previous marriage.
Sir
Henry died on 14 February 1994. |