Early Life & Political Career
Sir George William Mallet was born in Panama on July 24, 1923. His family lived in Panama for a number of years while his father was an office worker for the Panama Canal. While still very young Mallet's mother returned to Saint Lucia with her children. He acquired his education at the Roman Catholic Boy's School in Castries and at the Castries Intermediate Secondary School. Upon graduation, he joined the commercial sector, first as a clerk and later as a sales manager and accountant with leading business houses in Castries. These included Minvielle & Co., Minvielle & Chastanet and Peter & Co.
He was first elected to the Castries City Council in 1952. He served as chairman of that council until 1964. In 1958, Mallet was elected to the Saint Lucia Legislative Council to represent the constituency of Castries Central. With his growing role in the public sector and the responsibilities of the city council and the legislative council, Mallet resigned from his post as accountant with Peter & Co.
Now fully a public servant, Mallet was a member of the People's Progressive Party (PPP) and was appointed to the post of Minister for Trade, Industry, Agriculture and Tourism. At that time Saint Lucia was still under British rule and local politics were dominated by PPP and the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP). In 1961, amidst significant political unrest, a third political party emerged, the National Labour Movement (NLM). The NLM was led by John Compton, a former SLP member who broke away from that group to form a new political party due to the SLP's internal power struggles. In 1964, the People's Progressive Party and the National Labour Movement combined forces and formed a new party—the United Workers Party (UWP). This new party won the election held in June 1964. Mallet retained his position as Minister for Trade, Industry, Agriculture and Tourism and John Compton became Chief Minister.
On March 1, 1967 Saint Lucia became an Associated State of the United Kingdom, a move closer to independence that placed the Saint Lucian government fully in charge of the island's internal affairs. The UWP continued to win the subsequent national elections and pushed for full independence; the party's platform sharply criticized the British government's administration over the island. Eventually, Saint Lucian independence was achieved on Feb. 22, 1979. Despite some civil unrest, Saint Lucia's transition to independence was one of most peaceful in Caribbean history and the island maintains good relations with Great Britain.
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