British Virgin Islands politician (1933?2019)
Ralph Telford O'Neal
,
OBE
(15 December 1933 ? 11 November 2019)
[1]
was a British Virgin Islander politician. He was the longest ever serving elected representative in the British Virgin Islands, and served as Chief Minister (when the office was so titled) or
Premier of the British Virgin Islands
for three terms.
Politics
[
edit
]
Ralph O'Neal was first elected to represent the district for
Virgin Gorda
and
Anegada
[2]
on 1 September 1975, and he held that seat continuously until the
2015 general election
. He is the
longest serving elected politician
in British Virgin Islands history having served in the House of Assembly and Legislative Council for 39 years, 280 days, and his 10 election victories (including one uncontested) are second only to
Lavity Stoutt
in the Territory's political history.
[3]
Ralph O'Neal indicated in 2014 that he would stand down at the
2015 general election
.
[4]
Ralph O'Neal was first appointed Chief Minister when Lavity Stoutt died in office on 14 May 1995. He then served as Chief Minister until the
1999 general election
, which he won. His party would later lose the
2003 general election
, but he would return to power as Premier (as the office was renamed) for the third and final time following a
landslide victory
in the
2007 general election
. He remained in office until 7 November 2011, after the
Virgin Islands Party
lost its majority following the
2011 general election
. His combined 12 years as head of the elected Government is the second longest in the British Virgin Islands, behind only Lavity Stoutt.
[
citation needed
]
Ralph O'Neal also served as
Leader of the Opposition
in the British Virgin Islands on three occasions ? more than any other politician. He first served as opposition leader for the
United Party
from 1986 to 1988. He then served in the role for the Virgin Islands party from 2003 to 2007, and then finally from 2011 to 2015.
[
citation needed
]
For most of his political career Ralph O'Neal was a member of the
Virgin Islands Party
, and he led the party from the time of Lavity Stoutt's death, until he stepped down as party leader and was replaced by
Julian Fraser
. However, like most BVI politicians, Ralph O'Neal has "
crossed the floor
". He contested his first election, the
1971 general election
, unsuccessfully on behalf of the
VI Democratic Party
. He then ran for office twice as an independent candidate before joining the Virgin Islands Party. Then, in 1983, he left to join the ruling United Party, and contested the
1986 general election
on behalf of the United Party. He later rejoined the Virgin Islands Party in 1988 to take up a Ministerial position in Lavity Stoutt's government and was a member of the Virgin Islands party ever since.
[
citation needed
]
Personal
[
edit
]
Ralph O'Neal was educated at
University of Oxford
where he studied economics. He was also property owner and developer in the British Virgin Islands. Apart from his property investments, O'Neal had a number of other commercial interests during his life before serving in the House of Assembly under the Ralph O'Neal Group of Companies.
[
citation needed
]
In October 2016 O'Neal was flown overseas for emergency medical treatment after reportedly suffering a
stroke
.
[5]
O'Neal died at his home in the McNamara area of
Tortola
on 11 November 2019.
[6]
Electoral history
[
edit
]
Ralph T. O'Neal electoral history
Year
|
District
|
Party
|
Votes
|
Percentage
|
Winning/losing margin
|
Result
|
1971
|
7th District
|
VI Democratic Party
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
Lost
R. George
|
1975
|
7th District
|
Independent
|
306
|
64.0%
|
+136
|
Won
|
1979
|
9th District
|
Independent
|
403
|
70.8%
|
+234
|
Won
|
1983
|
9th District
|
Virgin Islands Party
|
unopposed
|
Won
|
1986
|
9th District
|
United Party
|
337
|
47%
|
+91
|
Won
|
1990
|
9th District
|
Virgin Islands Party
|
445
|
50.9%
|
+28
|
Won
|
1995
|
9th District
|
Virgin Islands Party
|
534
|
66.1%
|
+282
|
Won
|
1999
|
9th District
|
Virgin Islands Party
|
617
|
66.2%
|
+317
|
Won
|
2003
|
9th District
|
Virgin Islands Party
|
596
|
60.8%
|
+226
|
Won
|
2007
|
9th District
|
Virgin Islands Party
|
476
|
47%
|
+9
|
Won
|
2011
|
9th District
|
Virgin Islands Party
|
565
|
49.3%
|
+28
|
Won
|
References
[
edit
]
|
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|
†
Served as
Chief Minister
of the British Virign Islands.
| |