Rudyard Spencer

Rudyard "Ruddy" Spencer, CD (born 23 February 1944) is a Jamaican former politician. A member of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), Spencer was first elected to the Senate of Jamaica in 1993. Spencer was also a member of parliament for South East Clarendon for 18 years. He won every election he contested until his retirement from politics in February 2020.

Early life

Spencer was born on 23 February 1944 in Grange Hill, Westmoreland, Jamaica. He was educated in Medgar Evers College, City University of New York, and graduated from Cornell University with a degree in industrial relations.[1]

Career

In 1993, Spencer was elected to the Senate of Jamaica. From 1995 to 1997, he was the Leader of the Opposition Business in the Senate.[1] From 2002 to 2020, he was a member of parliament for South East Clarendon.[2] Spencer served as the Minister of Health in Jamaica from 2007 to 2012.[3] In 2016, he was appointed as Minister of Finance and the Public Service. Spencer also directed the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions and was a member of the Caribbean Congress of Labour.[1] In February 2020, Spencer announced his retirement from electoral politics.[4] Members of both the JLP and the PNP paid tribute to Spencer for his years of service.[5] While awaiting his appointment to the Jamaican embassy in Berlin, Germany, Spencer served as deputy chairman of the Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT).[6]

Recognition

In 1995, Spencer was awarded the Order of Distinction (Officer Class), and promoted to Commander Class in 2014 for "more than 20 years of distinguished service to parliament".[1]

References
  1. "The Honourable Rudyard Spencer". The Ministry of National Security. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  2. "Ruddy Spencer calls it quits - Clarendon MP leaves representational politics". The Star. 5 February 2020.
  3. "Ministers and Ministries" (PDF). Jamaica Information Service. November 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  4. "'Ruddy' Spencer resigns from politics; intriguing by-election looms". Loop Jamaica. 5 February 2020.
  5. "House Of Representatives Pays Tribute To Ruddy Spencer". Jamaica Information Service. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  6. "Rudyard Spencer joins IDT as deputy chair". Jamaica Observer. 10 March 2020.
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