Legislative Council of Trinidad and Tobago
Encyclopedia
The Legislative Council of Trinidad and Tobago served as an advisory commission to the Governor
in British
-ruled Trinidad and Tobago
, between 1925 and independence
in 1961. The Legislative Council consisted of a mixture of appointed and elected members. Initially the Council consisted of 13 "unofficial" members (those who were not civil servants serving ex officio in the Council), seven elected and six appointed, to 31 members, 24 of whom were elected.
Over time the balance between elected members and appointed m 1956 the Council consisted of 24 elected and 7 appointed unofficial members.
Between 1797 and 1925 Trinidad was directly ruled from Britain as a crown colony
with no elected representation. This was unlike the situation in the rest of the British West Indies
where an elected Assembly was the norm. While there was a Council of Advice, which was later replaced by a Council of Government and finally by an Executive and Legislative Council, these were purely advisory bodies and had no elected representation. Following an investigative visit to the Caribbean by Major E.F.L. Wood (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies) between December 13, 1921 and February 14, 1922, a recommendation was made to include elected members.
The first elections to the Legislative Council were held in 1925. Voting rights were based on property or income qualifications. The colony was divided into seven constituencies:
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
in British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-ruled Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
, between 1925 and independence
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
in 1961. The Legislative Council consisted of a mixture of appointed and elected members. Initially the Council consisted of 13 "unofficial" members (those who were not civil servants serving ex officio in the Council), seven elected and six appointed, to 31 members, 24 of whom were elected.
Over time the balance between elected members and appointed m 1956 the Council consisted of 24 elected and 7 appointed unofficial members.
Between 1797 and 1925 Trinidad was directly ruled from Britain as a crown colony
Crown colony
A Crown colony, also known in the 17th century as royal colony, was a type of colonial administration of the English and later British Empire....
with no elected representation. This was unlike the situation in the rest of the British West Indies
British West Indies
The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
where an elected Assembly was the norm. While there was a Council of Advice, which was later replaced by a Council of Government and finally by an Executive and Legislative Council, these were purely advisory bodies and had no elected representation. Following an investigative visit to the Caribbean by Major E.F.L. Wood (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies) between December 13, 1921 and February 14, 1922, a recommendation was made to include elected members.
The first elections to the Legislative Council were held in 1925. Voting rights were based on property or income qualifications. The colony was divided into seven constituencies:
- the city of Port of SpainPort of SpainPort of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
- the county of CaroniCaroni, Trinidad and TobagoCaroni County occupies in the west central part of the island of Trinidad, the larger island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It lies south and southwest of Saint George County, west of Nariva County and north of Victoria County. To the west it is bounded by the Gulf of Paria. County...
- the county of St. GeorgeSaint George, Trinidad and TobagoSaint George is a county in Trinidad and Tobago. It occupies the northwestern portion of the island of Trinidad and is bounded by the Caribbean Sea to the north, the Gulf of Paria to the west, Caroni County to the south and Saint David County and Saint Andrew County to the east. It occupies an...
- the Eastern Counties (St. AndrewSaint Andrew, Trinidad and TobagoSaint Andrew is a county in Trinidad and Tobago which occupies . It is located in northeastern Trinidad, east of Saint George County, south of Saint David County and north of Nariva County. To the east it is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean. The major town in the county is Sangre Grande...
, St. DavidSaint David, Trinidad and TobagoSaint David is a county in Trinidad and Tobago which occupies in the northeastern corner of the island of Trinidad. The main town in the county is Toco. It is bounded to the north by the Caribbean Sea, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by Saint Andrew County and to the west by...
, NarivaNarivaNariva is a county in Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in eastern Trinidad, south of Saint Andrew and north of Mayaro, to the west by Victoria County and to the northwest by Saint George. The southern boundary of the county lies along the Ortoire River and the western boundary is Cocos Bay...
and Mayaro) - the county of VictoriaVictoria, Trinidad and TobagoVictoria is a county in Trinidad and Tobago. It covers 813 km2 and is divided into five wards. It is bordered on the north by the county of Caroni, the south by the county of Saint Patrick, and in the east by the counties of Mayaro and Nariva. To the west it borders the Gulf of Paria. The...
- the county of St. PatrickSaint Patrick, Trinidad and TobagoSaint Patrick is a county in Trinidad and Tobago which occupies an area of 673 km2 . It occupies the southwestern peninsula of the island of Trinidad and is bounded by the Columbus Channel to the south, the Gulf of Paria to the west, and Victoria to the north. It includes the towns of Point...
- the ward of TobagoTobagoTobago is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the southern Caribbean, northeast of the island of Trinidad and southeast of Grenada. The island lies outside the hurricane belt...
.