The Honourable Roger Clarke is Dead

It is with deep regret and profound sadness that we advise of the death of Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Hon Roger Clarke. He died this morning in a hospital in Florida where he completed surgery.

Minister Clarke has had a successful political career, having won eight elections comprising two Local Government and six General Elections. In 1986 he was elected Councillor for the Balaclava division in St. Elizabeth, and was nominated Mayor of Black River and Chairman of the St. Elizabeth Parish Council. He was subsequently re-elected in the 1990 Local Government Election where he continued as Mayor. Mr. Clarke also served a four year period as President of the Local Government Authorities from 1988 to 1991.

He went on to a bigger political stage in 1991 when he was elected Member of Parliament for North East St. Elizabeth in a by-election. Three months into the job, he was promoted in early 1992 to State Minister for Agriculture; a position he held for three years and by 1995 he was appointed Minister of Local Government and Works.

By 1998, he was back in familiar territory serving as Minister of Agriculture. He served as Minister of Agriculture for some ten years and during that period was one of the founding members of the Alliance of Ministers of Agriculture for CARICOM, and served as its chairman for many years.