Julian Hunte
Encyclopedia
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 14 March 1940 in Castries
Castries
Castries , population 10,634, aggl. 37,963 , is the capital city of Saint Lucia, a country in the Caribbean. The district with the same name had a population of 61,341 in 2001-05-22, and stretches over an area of ....
) was the foreign minister
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
of Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
from April 2001 to 26 October 2004, when he was succeeded by Petrus Compton
Petrus Compton
Petrus Compton also known by his nickname, "Papo", is a Saint Lucian politician and senator. He was the Foreign Minister of Saint Lucia from October 26, 2004, when he was appointed to succeed Julian Hunte, until December 2006, when a new government took office...
. He is the Permanent Representative (or Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
) for Saint Lucia to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, after presenting his credentials to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 7 December 2004.
Hunte was also the President of the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
during its 58th regular session (2003–2004). He was awarded the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(OBE), in recognition of his dedicated service to the Government and people of Saint Lucia, in 1979.
Political career
He first entered politics in 1967, serving as a councillor, and then as mayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Castries from 1970 to 1971. He joined the Saint Lucia Labour Party
Saint Lucia Labour Party
The Saint Lucia Labour Party is a social democratic political party in Saint Lucia. It currently holds ten of the 17 seats in the House of Assembly.-History:...
in 1978, and became leader of the party in 1984. He was elected to the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia
House of Assembly of Saint Lucia
The Parliament of Saint Lucia has two chambers. The House of Assembly is the popular elected chamber of the Legislature. It has 17 members, elected for a five year term in single-seat constituencies.-Current Composition:...
in 1987, and was Leader of the Opposition until 1996, when he was replaced by Kenny Anthony.
In 2001, Robert Hunte was appointed to the Senate of Saint Lucia
Senate of Saint Lucia
The Legislature has two chambers. The upper house is the Senate with 11 appointed members.The Government Senators are:* Allen Chastanet* Guy Mayers* Gale T. C. Rigobert* Charlotte Mangal* Lorenzo FrancisThe Opposition Senators are:* Emma Hippolyte...
and was invited by the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia to join the Cabinet that same year as foreign minister.
Hunte stood for election in the constituency of Gros Islet in the general election of 11 December 2006, but was defeated by Lenard Montoute
Lenard Montoute
Born June 30 1962, Lenard Spider Montoute is a Saint Lucian politician who represents the constituency of Gros Islet for the United Workers Party . He is currently Minister for Social Transformation, Public Service, Human Resource Development and Youth and Sports.Montoute won the seat from Gros...
of the United Workers Party
United Workers Party (Saint Lucia)
The United Workers Party is a conservative political party in Saint Lucia, led by Prime Minister Stephenson King and previously by John Compton.-History:...
(UWP).
Other work and background
Hunte's educational background is in Business Administration and accounting. In addition to his diplomatic work, he is currently Chairman and Chief Executive of the Julian R. Hunte Group of Companies, with a network of agencies dealing with insurance, real estate and packaging and storage.He has also been the Chair of the Saint Lucia National Development Corporation, which is the country's principal development agency. He also served as Director of the Saint Lucia Development Bank, and the National Commercial Bank of Saint Lucia.
Hunte has played cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
at a national level in Saint Lucia, and has participated as an administrator at the national, regional and international levels. He has been President of the Saint Lucia National Cricket Association and of the Windward Islands
Windward Islands
The Windward Islands are the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles, within the West Indies.-Name and geography:The Windward Islands are called such because they were more windward to sailing ships arriving in the New World than the Leeward Islands, given that the prevailing trade winds in the...
Cricket Board of Control, and as Vice-President of the West Indies Cricket Board
West Indies Cricket Board
The West Indies Cricket Board is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in the West Indies...
, which he has represented on the International Cricket Council
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
, the institution responsible for international governance of the game.
He is married to Charlotte Elizabeth Jennifer Hunte (née Clarke), and has four children.