Bruce Golding - Biography

Biography

He is the son of Tacius Golding and Enid Golding (née Bent, died 13 September 2011 ), both teachers. He was the third of four children: The second—the only girl—died shortly after birth. In 1949, when he was only two years old, his family moved to St. Faiths district near Browns Hall, St. Catherine where he spent the next five years. In 1955, his mother accepted a teaching post at Alpha Academy in Kingston. This necessitated that the family relocate to Kingston.

As a child, Golding grew up in a political environment. He was only two years old in 1949 when his father was first elected as a Member of the House of Representatives for West St. Catherine, a seat that he retained for 22 years until his retirement in 1972. Tacius Golding was the first Speaker of the House in Independent Jamaica and also served as Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Housing.

Golding, the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), became Prime Minister following his party's slim victory in the 3 September 2007 general election and Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller's concession of defeat two days later. He was sworn in by the Governor-General of Jamaica on 11 September 2007. Golding is the nation's eighth prime minister since independence.

Golding was the founder of the National Democratic Movement (NDM). He was formerly the chairman of the JLP before he and others felt the need to split and form the new NDM in 1995. In 2002, he rejoined the JLP and in November 2003 was again elected chairman of the Party.

He was elected leader of the JLP, and also the leader of the opposition, on 20 February 2005, succeeding Edward Seaga. Golding is a second-generation member of the JLP. His father, Tacius Golding, served as a member of parliament, and Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1962.

He is married to Lorna Golding and has three children: Sherene, Steven, and Ann-Merita.

Bruce Golding is the current MP of Kingston West, and also hosts Jamaica House Live, a monthly talk show.

In May 2008, in an interview with Stephen Sackur of the BBC, he declared that any cabinet formed by him would exclude any MP known to be gay. In previous statements, Golding has stated that he and his party strongly opposed public displays of homosexuality in Jamaica and that he felt that they should continue to be illegal in keeping with Jamaican societal norms.