Adams, Sir Grantley Herbert (1898-1971), a West Indian statesman, became the first premier of Barbados. Later, Adams served as prime minister of the Federation of the West Indies. During Adams’s premiership, vital reforms became law, including the development of Barbados into a democracy based on the principle of “one person, one vote.” Adams also helped broaden the economic development of Barbados.
Adams was born on April 28, 1898, in St. Michael, Barbados. He attended Harrison College, a secondary school in Barbados, and Oxford University, in England, where he studied classics and law. Adams became premier of Barbados after leading a coalition of the Barbados Labour Party and the Congress Party to victory in 1954.
Adams was knighted in 1957. In 1958, the Federation of the West Indies was established, and Adams became federal prime minister. To take up this position, he had to resign his premiership of Barbados. Adams died on Nov. 28, 1971.
