Pierre Charles

Pierre Charles was the prime minister of Dominica from 2000 to 2004 after succeeding Prime Minister Roosevelt Douglas who died in office after only eight months in service. Charles had always functioned as the acting prime minister for Roosevelt “Rosie” Douglas during the latter’s eight months rule, so he was appointed to fill that position when Douglas passed on.

Charles was from Grand Bay in Saint Patrick Parish and born on June 30, 1954.

He attended the Dominica Grammar School but finished his secondary education at St. Mary’s Academy, after which he attended the teacher training college. He worked as a teacher and community coordinator before deciding to join politics. Aged 25 in 1975, he was appointed a Senator into parliament; and in 1985, he became the MP for Grand Bay and retained that parliamentary position until his death in 2004.

Pierre Charles underwent angioplasty surgery – an operation to repair a damaged blood vessel or unblock a coronary artery – in 2003. Dominicans everywhere expressed serious concerns about his debilitating health and called him to step down, but he refused and continued to undergo medical treatments while carrying out his functions as prime minister.

Sometimes, Osborne Riviere stood in for him as acting prime minister when Charles went on medical leave. On January 6, 2004, Charles suffered a fatal heart attack while being driven home from a cabinet meeting and died at the age of 49 years. He was an honorary member of The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation before his demise.