3
Sir William George Mallet was born on July 24th 1923. He acquired his education at the Roman Catholic Boy's School in Castries and at the Castries Intermediate Secondary School. Upon graduation, he joined the commercial sector, first as a clerk and later became Sales Manager.
In 1958 he was elected to the Saint Lucia Legislative Council to represent the constituency of Castries Central. He thereby resigned from his post as Accountant which he held with a leading business house in Castries. He was first elected to the Castries City Council in 1952. He served as chairman of that Council until 1964 when he retired and was appointed to the post of Minister for Trade, Industry, Agriculture and Tourism.
He held this position until 1979 when with a change of government he became a member of opposition in the Saint Lucia House of Assembly. He returned in 1982 to serve as Minister for Trade, Industry and Tourism until 1992. Prior to that year's General Election he was given the responsibility for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs, Trade and Industry. A year later, he undertook the additional responsibility of Ministry for Caricom Affairs. He was also Deputy Prime Minister. After thirty eight years of service, he resigned his seat in the House of Assembly.
For his long years of dedicated service, he was awarded the insignia of the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty the Queen in 1989. On June 1st 1996, Mr. Mallet was appointed to the office of Governor-General. In 1996 he was awarded Grand Cross of the Order of St. Lucia. In February 1997, he was awarded Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Lucia. Sir George retired from the post of Governor-General on August 31st, 1997.
Irishman-associated with the public life of St. Lucia for over thirty years. Born in Tabart in the County of Kerry, Ireland in 1805. The exact date of birth is unavailable. Father was Patrick Mc Elliot Breen, a descendent of the ancient Irish Chiefs of Tyrone. Breen's Mother was Maria Moore Eagarty, a near relative of the Thomas Moore, the famous Irish Poet. Perhaps this association with the author of 'The Harp That Once Through Tara's Halls' and other world known poems may account for the poetic strain that Breen would one-day reveal.
According to the 1884 edition of 'Men of the Time' Breen was educated at the Grammar schools of till the age of 18 when he was sent to the College of St. Esprit where he studied Philosophy Theology and French Literature. According to information received from the Holy Ghost Fathers in Trinidad, This College was Probably the College "College et Seminarie du St. Esprit'' in the Rue Lhomond in Paris: it had been started as a Seminary in 1703, ransacked and confiscated at the time of the French Revolution of 1789 the restarted as a College Seminary in 1822. All which would make one wonder if Breen went to Paris with a view to studying for the Catholic priesthood.
In his book on St. Lucia he says that he had spent five years in France but does not give any details of what he did there. One thing is certain; his stay in France made him well acquainted with the French language, the mentality, and French History. Undoubtedly it all served him in good stead when he eventually took up a Civil Service post in St. Lucia-then a French colony.
In 1945, Sir Stanislaus James was transferred to the Education Department in Castries as head of a small number of supervising teachers who covered the entire island.
According to the St. Lucia Handbook of 1924 Breen assumed the administration of the Government of St. Lucia on the 21st May 1857. However according to the Colonial Office List of 1876, he was Administrator of the Government from September 1857 to September 1861. During Breen's four years in office many a number of changes took place.