Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris extends his heartfelt condolences, and those of the Government and people of St. Kitts and Nevis, to the family and loved ones of Herman W. Liburd Esq., J.P., who was a former Speaker (1980-1985).
Herman Liburd, who served as Speaker of the House of Assembly from 1980 and was succeeded as Speaker of the National Assembly by Ivan Buchanan in 1985, has died. (The 1983 Constitution established the National Assembly to replace the House of Assembly.)
The former Speaker, who was 78 years old, died on Friday, April 12th, 2019. He was born in Nevis on April 2nd, 1941.
“Herman W. Liburd was a visionary who had a remarkable life history, having presided as Speaker during an extraordinary era in our country’s development,” Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris said upon learning of his passing. Herman Liburd first presided as Speaker at the opening of the new House of Assembly on March 20th, 1980 following the general election of February 18th, 1980.
Prime Minister Harris went on to note that, “The Honourable Herman Liburd presided over a House of Assembly that witnessed a historic coalition of two parties – the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) and the People’s Action Movement (PAM) – under the leadership of Premier Dr. the Honourable Kennedy Simmonds, who went on to become the first Prime Minister when St. Kitts and Nevis attained Independence on September 19th, 1983 and is now our nation’s only living National Hero.”
The Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis added, “Speaker Herman Liburd also presided over a House that saw the historic advancement of women. In 1980, Eugenie Byron (now Eugenie Condor) was the first woman to be appointed Senator in the House of Assembly. Then, in 1984, Speaker Herman Liburd once again had a front seat to history when Constance V. Mitcham was the first woman to be elected to serve in the National Assembly.”
Reflecting on Herman Liburd’s legacy, Prime Minister Harris further stated that, “His significant contributions to the sociocultural fabric of St. Kitts and Nevis have forever been cemented not only through his prominence as a Speaker and lawyer, but also because of the influence and respect he held as a newspaper columnist, community leader, and legal advisor to the Nevis Island Administration.”
Herman Liburd was a founding member of the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society, which held its inaugural meeting on July 25th, 1980. He also served as President of the Nevis Cricket Association (1980-1982).
Herman Liburd graduated from York University in Canada with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science in 1971, from the University of Toronto with a Master’s degree in Economics and Political Science in 1973, and from the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago with a Certificate of Legal Education in 1978.
A former member of the Nevis Island Assembly (1992-1999), the late Herman Liburd worked in Nevis as Senior Partner at the law firm of Liburd & Dash, L.P. (2008-2018) and most recently as Partner at the law firm LiburdLaw, Attorneys at Law (2018-2019).
The Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis extends deepest sympathy to Herman Liburd’s daughter Krysta Liburd-Clarke, his son Steven Straker, his two brothers Dr. A. Linton Liburd and Claudius Liburd, and his five sisters Eleanor Dash, Rosalind Hai, Marilyn Liburd, Millicent Liburd and Yvonne Liburd.
