NASSAU, The Bahamas – Former Member of Parliament, Deputy to the Governor General of The Bahamas and Speaker of the House of Assembly, James Oswald Ingraham has passed away at the age of 83. 

Mr. Ingraham was born June 24, 1937, to Samuel and Marion Ingraham in Tarpum Bay, Eleuthera. He represented Central and South Eleuthera for the Progressive Liberal Party from 2002 to 2012 and was elected the 50th Speaker of the House of Assembly in 2002 serving until 2007. 

In his youth, in the early 1950s he accepted a position of messenger and became the first black employee at Barclays Bank in Eleuthera.

 In the early 1980s he purchased a parcel of land in Tarpum Bay and eventually constructed a resort complex. He became a successful businessman in the tourism and hospitality industry. Mr. Ingraham was an active member of his community. A Justice of the Peace, he also served in the Association of Brethren in The Bahamas and the Eleuthera branch of Gideons International. He is survived by his wife Marie and his children, Terry, Dwight, Wayne, Jackie, Wendy and Velma. He passed away on Monday, November 23 at Princess Margaret Hospital.