THE HON.  PAUL L. ADDERLEY M.A., LL.B. ACTING GOVERNOR-GENERAL 2005 - 2006

The Hon. Paul Lawrence Adderley, M.A., LL.B., was born August 15, 1928, in Nassau, the second son of the late Hon. Alfred Francis Adderley, CBE, and Mrs. Ethel M. L. Adderley. He died on September 19, 2012.
 

Mr. Adderley was educated at the late Mrs. Maude Wright’s Primary School and at the Government High School. He later attended St. Catherine’s College, Cambridge University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in law in 1950 and an LL.B. degree in 1951. He attended the Inns of Court Law Schools at the Middle Temple and was called to the English Bar and The Bahamas Bar in 1953.
 

Mr. Adderley was elected to a seat in the Western District in 1961, as a Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) candidate.
 

Mr. Adderley left the PLP in 1965 and established the National Democratic Party (NDP) political party. However, he returned to the PLP in 1972.
 

On March 1, 1973, he was appointed Minister of External Affairs and his appointment on July 10, 1973, as Attorney-General followed 20 years of legal practice in The Bahamas. This also made him the first Attorney-General of the newly-independent country.
 

Although he was defeated in the General Election of 1982, Mr. Adderley was appointed to the Senate as Government Leader and re-appointed Minister of External Affairs and Attorney-General. In October 1984, Mr. Adderley was appointed Minister of Education and retained his appointment as Attorney-General.
 

In 1987, Mr. Adderley received the Progressive Liberal Party’s nomination as a candidate for the St. Michael’s constituency. He won the House of Assembly seat in the June 19, 1987, general election. He was reappointed Minister of Education and Attorney-General and appointed Leader of the House.
 

When Prime Minister Pindling again reshuffled his Cabinet, in January 1989, Mr. Adderley was appointed Minister of Education and Minister of National Security.
 

In a subsequent reshuffle on October 1, 1990, Mr. Adderley was named Minister of Finance, serving until August 1992.
 

Mr. Adderley also served as Acting Governor-General from December 1, 2005, to January 31, 2006.
 

Mr. Adderley had been associated with a number of public, civic and professional organisations. He had been a member of the board of governors of St. John’s College and Government High School and a member of the Telecommunications Board.
 

An avid sports fan, Mr. Adderley played cricket, soccer and tennis in his university days. He had been a secretary and vice-president of the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association. In later life, he enjoyed the more leisurely hobbies of golf and photography, along with cultural endeavours.
 

Mr. Adderley married the former Lilith Rosena Thompson in 1960. They had three daughters, Catherine, Rosanne and Paula.