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Sir Vere Cornwall Bird | |
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.jpg) Bird in 1986 | |
| 1st Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda | |
| In office 1 November 1981 – 9 March 1994 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governors‑General | Sir Wilfred Jacobs Sir James Carlisle |
| Preceded by | Himself (as Premier) |
| Succeeded by | Lester Bird |
| 1st Premier of Antigua | |
| In office 29 February 1976 – 1 November 1981 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor | Sir Wilfred Jacobs |
| Preceded by | George Walter |
| Succeeded by | George Walter |
| In office 27 February 1967 – 14 February 1971 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor | Sir Wilfred Jacobs |
| Preceded by | Himself (as Chief minister) |
| Succeeded by | George Walter |
| 1st Chief minister of Antigua | |
| In office 1 January 1960 – 27 February 1967 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor | Ian Turbott Sir David Rose |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Himself (as Premier) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 December 1909[1] St. John's, British Leeward Islands |
| Died | 28 June 1999 (aged 89)[2] St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda |
| Political party | Labour |
Sir Vere Cornwall Bird, KNH (9 December 1909[1] – 28 June 1999) was the first Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. His son, Lester Bryant Bird, succeeded him as prime minister. In 1994, he was declared a "National Hero".
He was an officer in the Salvation Army for 2 years. In 1943, he became the president of the Antigua Trades and Labour Union. He achieved national acclaim politically for the first time when he was elected to the colonial legislature in 1945. He formed the Antigua Labour Party and became the first and only chief minister, first and last premier, and first prime minister from 1981 to 1994. His resignation was due to failing health and internal issues within the government.
In 1985 Antigua's international airport, which was first named Coolidge International Airport, was renamed V.C. Bird International Airport in his honour.
- ^ a b Who's who in the World. Marquis Who's Who. 1990. ISBN 9780837911106.
- ^ "Caribbean Elections Biography | Vere Cornwall Bird Sr". Archived from the original on 7 December 2011.