Clarence Seignoret

Sir Clarence Henry Augustus Seignoret was elected president of Dominica and served two consecutive terms in office. He was president from 1983 to 1988, and also from 1988 to 1993. Born on February 25, 1919, in Roseau, Seignoret attended Dominica Grammar School before proceeding to Saint Lucia to attend college.

He got employed as a civil servant in Dominica in 1936 before travelling to the UK in 1958 to undergo a two-year course at Oxford University. With necessary qualifications in international public service, Seignoret returned to Dominica in 1961 and took up employment with the government. He functioned as a secretary in the Cabinet, and as acting president for some years.

In 1983, the House of Parliament elected him as president after President Aurelius Marie left office. He got re-elected to the presidency again in 1988 till 1993 when he resigned.

President Clarence Seignoret was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II, and was knighted with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1985. In 1992, he was made Knight of Malta. He died on May 5, 2002.