Patricia Robinson
Encyclopedia
Patricia Rawlins Robinson (March 31, 1930 - September 10, 2009) was a Trinidadian
economist
and public servant. Robinson, the wife former President
and Prime Minister A. N. R. Robinson
served as the First Lady of Trinidad and Tobago during his administrations.
, on March 31, 1930. She attended Tranquility Government Primary School. Following elementary school, Robinson was awarded an exhibition
, a British form of a scholarship
, to St Joseph’s Convent.
She worked in public service
for a short time after leaving school. Robinson was accepted into Columbia University
in New York City
, where she studied economics
. She received her master's degree
in economics from Columbia University in 1957, and completed some courses towards a doctorate
.
in 1958. She became an economist
within the People's National Movement
administration of Eric Williams
, the country's first Prime Minister. She next served as the Permanent Secretary
in the Ministry of External Affairs
from 1965 until 1967.
In a June 1990 interview
, Robinson revealed that in 1973 she had been offered a permanent position as the Director of Research at the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago
. However, the government refused to release her from her contract, so she was unable to accept the job with the Central Bank. The government soon transferred her to a job St Ann’s which she later referred to as "cold storage" because of how little there was to work on at the position. "I was allegedly on special assignment having to do with the Caribbean Investment Company or something like that. In fact, it was a nothing job and I spent from ‘73 to ‘80 there on a seven-year sabbatical." Robison believed that she had been moved to the "nothing job" because her husband, A. N. R. Robinson, had fallen out with the ruling party which lead to his ministerial resignation in April 1970.
Robinson joined the National Institute of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (NIHERST) in 1980. She served as the NIHERST's Director of Financial Institutions. In the 1980s, Patricia Robinson also proposed a ten year development plan to implement and strengthen the Tobago House of Assembly
, which was created in 1980. Her husband, A. N. R. Robinson, had served as the chairman of the Tobago House of Assembly at the time of the governmental body's inception in 1980. She retired in March 1990.
In July 1990, members of the Jamaat al Muslimeen
stormed
The Red House
in Port of Spain during an attempted coup
. Several prominent members of the government were taken hostage during the coup attempt, including A. N. R. Robinson, who was the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago at the time. At the height of the hostage crisis, a member of Jamaat al Muslimeen handed Prime Minister Robinson. The note, from Patricia Robinson, read simply "I love you." No one knows how Robinson was able to get the note to her husband during the Red House siege.
Patricia Robinson became the First Lady
of Trinidad and Tobago
after her husband assumed the presidency from 1997 until 2003.
, Trinidad and Tobago, on September 10, 2009, at the age of 79. Her family doctor pronounced her dead shortly after 6 am local time, in the presence of her daughter, Ann Margaret, and granddaughter. Robinson had been suffering from a number of ailments, including Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes, during her later years and had not been seen in public in several years.
She was survived by her husband, former President A. N. R. Robinson, their two children, Ann Margaret and David Robinson, a aeronautical engineer, and granddaughter, Anushka. Her funeral was held at the St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Scarborough, Tobago
. Robinson chose to be buried in Scarborough Methodist Cemetery in Tobago, the birthplace of her husband.
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...
economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
and public servant. Robinson, the wife former President
President of Trinidad and Tobago
The President of Trinidad and Tobago is the head of state of Trinidad and Tobago, and the commander in chief of its armed forces. The office was established when the country became a republic in 1976, before which the head of state was Queen Elizabeth II...
and Prime Minister A. N. R. Robinson
A. N. R. Robinson
Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson, OCC, TC was the third President of Trinidad and Tobago, serving from 19 March 1997 to 17 March 2003. He was also Trinidad and Tobago's third Prime Minister, serving in that capacity from 18 December 1986 to 17 December 1991...
served as the First Lady of Trinidad and Tobago during his administrations.
Early life
Robinson was born Patricia Rawlins in a building on the corner of Oxford and Observatory Streets in eastern Port-of-Spain, TrinidadTrinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, on March 31, 1930. She attended Tranquility Government Primary School. Following elementary school, Robinson was awarded an exhibition
Exhibition (scholarship)
-United Kingdom and Ireland:At the universities of Dublin, Oxford and Cambridge, and at Westminster School, Eton College and Winchester College, and various other UK educational establishments, an exhibition is a financial award or grant to an individual student, normally on grounds of merit. The...
, a British form of a scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
, to St Joseph’s Convent.
She worked in public service
Public services
Public services is a term usually used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly or by financing private provision of services. The term is associated with a social consensus that certain services should be available to all, regardless of income...
for a short time after leaving school. Robinson was accepted into Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where she studied economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
. She received her master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in economics from Columbia University in 1957, and completed some courses towards a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
.
Career
Robinson returned to Trinidad and Tobago after leaving Columbia University, where she re-entered the public sectorPublic sector
The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...
in 1958. She became an economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
within the People's National Movement
People's National Movement
The People's National Movement is the present-day opposition political party in Trinidad and Tobago. Founded in 1955 by Eric Williams, it won the 1956 General Elections and went on to hold power for an unbroken 30 years. After the death of Williams in 1981 George Chambers led the party...
administration of Eric Williams
Eric Williams
Eric Eustace Williams served as the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. He served from 1956 until his death in 1981. He was also a noted Caribbean historian, and is widely regarded as "The Father of The Nation."...
, the country's first Prime Minister. She next served as the Permanent Secretary
Permanent Secretary
The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
in the Ministry of External Affairs
Ministry of External Affairs
Ministry of External Affairs may refer to:* Ministry of External Affairs * Ministry of External Affairs * Ministry of External Affairs * Ministry of External Affairs and Defence...
from 1965 until 1967.
In a June 1990 interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
, Robinson revealed that in 1973 she had been offered a permanent position as the Director of Research at the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago
Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago
The Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago is the central bank of Trinidad and Tobago.The Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago is located in the Eric Williams Financial Complex. The complex consists of the central bank auditorium and two sky-scrapers, locally known as the twin towers...
. However, the government refused to release her from her contract, so she was unable to accept the job with the Central Bank. The government soon transferred her to a job St Ann’s which she later referred to as "cold storage" because of how little there was to work on at the position. "I was allegedly on special assignment having to do with the Caribbean Investment Company or something like that. In fact, it was a nothing job and I spent from ‘73 to ‘80 there on a seven-year sabbatical." Robison believed that she had been moved to the "nothing job" because her husband, A. N. R. Robinson, had fallen out with the ruling party which lead to his ministerial resignation in April 1970.
Robinson joined the National Institute of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (NIHERST) in 1980. She served as the NIHERST's Director of Financial Institutions. In the 1980s, Patricia Robinson also proposed a ten year development plan to implement and strengthen the Tobago House of Assembly
Tobago House of Assembly
The Tobago House of Assembly is the local government body responsible for the island of Tobago within the twin-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. The THA was established in 1980 to rectify some of the disparities in the relationship between the two islands, though a prior body using the same...
, which was created in 1980. Her husband, A. N. R. Robinson, had served as the chairman of the Tobago House of Assembly at the time of the governmental body's inception in 1980. She retired in March 1990.
In July 1990, members of the Jamaat al Muslimeen
Jamaat al Muslimeen
The Jamaat al Muslimeen is a Muslim organisation within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago with a membership of predominantly Afro-Trinidadians....
stormed
The Red House
The Red House (Trinidad and Tobago)
The Red House is the seat of Parliament in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The architectural design of the Red House is of Greek revival style. The original building was destroyed in the 1903 water riots and was rebuilt in the year 1907. The Red House is located centrally within the capital...
in Port of Spain during an attempted coup
Jamaat al Muslimeen coup attempt
On Friday 27 July 1990, 114 members of the Jamaat al Muslimeen, an Afro-Trinidadian Islamic organisation, led by Imam Yasin Abu Bakr and Bilaal Abdullah attempted to stage a coup d'état against the government of Trinidad and Tobago. Forty-two insurgents stormed the Red House and took the Prime...
. Several prominent members of the government were taken hostage during the coup attempt, including A. N. R. Robinson, who was the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago at the time. At the height of the hostage crisis, a member of Jamaat al Muslimeen handed Prime Minister Robinson. The note, from Patricia Robinson, read simply "I love you." No one knows how Robinson was able to get the note to her husband during the Red House siege.
Patricia Robinson became the First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
of 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...
after her husband assumed the presidency from 1997 until 2003.
Death
Patricia Robinson died in her sleep at her home in Ellerslie ParkEllerslie Park
Ellerslie Park is an exclusive residential development in the northwestern corner of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The development is in the shape of an oval with a single entrance. No two homes are the same, a result of each home being built to the specifications of its original owner...
, Trinidad and Tobago, on September 10, 2009, at the age of 79. Her family doctor pronounced her dead shortly after 6 am local time, in the presence of her daughter, Ann Margaret, and granddaughter. Robinson had been suffering from a number of ailments, including Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes, during her later years and had not been seen in public in several years.
She was survived by her husband, former President A. N. R. Robinson, their two children, Ann Margaret and David Robinson, a aeronautical engineer, and granddaughter, Anushka. Her funeral was held at the St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Scarborough, Tobago
Scarborough, Tobago
Scarborough, Tobago is the largest town in Tobago, one of the two main islands of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Its population is around 17,000, almost one-third of the population of the island. The town is dominated by Fort King George, an 18th century fortification named after King George...
. Robinson chose to be buried in Scarborough Methodist Cemetery in Tobago, the birthplace of her husband.