A Timeline of a Leader: Dr Ewart F. Brown

October 28, 2010
  • 1946: Ewart Frederick Brown is born into a political family; his aunt and mother (UBP MPs Helene Brown and Gloria McPhee) were the first sisters in the House of Assembly. He grew up in Flatts
  • 1957: Awarded a government scholarship to attend Berkeley Institute at age 11, after attending Victor Scott Primary (then known as Central School)
  • 1960: Moved to Jamaica and attended St Jago High School in Spanish Town
  • 1966: Represented Bermuda at the Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica where he ran the 400 meters and 1600 meter relay
  • 1967-1968: As student-body president of Howard University he led a successful five-day take-over of the school’s administration building as a protest against the disregard of their demands for self-disciplining authority over student violations of college rules. It was the first all-black seizure of a college administration building in the US.
  • 1971: Qualified as a doctor. His first son is born; Kevin
  • 1974: Failed to obtain a licence to practice medicine in Bermuda, with reports suggesting he may have been the first qualified doctor in 50 years to be turned down for a Bermuda Medical Association licence to practise, after it was claimed he failed the BMA exam. Dr Brown claimed he was deliberately denied the licence due to being seen as too radical.
  • 1974: Opened the Vermont Century Medical Clinic in California
  • 1982: Second son is born; Maurice
  • 1988: Received his licence to practise medicine in Bermuda. Third son is born; Ewart III
  • 1989: Fourth, and last, son is born: Donavan
  • 1990: Set up Bermuda Healthcare Services
  • 1992: Returned to the Island permanently
  • 1993: Ran as a PLP candidate for one of the two Warwick West constituency’s seats in the House of Assembly, facing the two incumbent UBP members of parliament: Quinton L. Edness and John H. Sharpe. Dr Brown finished only two votes behind Mr Edness, winning Mr Sharpe’s seat.
  • 1998: Dr Brown repeated his win, the PLP took power and he was appointed to Cabinet as the Minister of Transport.
  • 2003: After the 2003 General Election, he was returned to Government as the Minister of Transport and was also appointed as the Deputy Premier of Bermuda.
  • 2004: Following a Cabinet shuffle in 2004, Dr. Brown assumed the single Portfolio of The Ministry of Tourism and Transport, when the two Ministries were combined.
  • 2006: On October 12th, Dr Brown resigned from Cabinet to make a second bid for leadership. At a party delegates conference on October 27th, he defeated the incumbent, Alex Scott, by 107 to 76, and was sworn in as Premier on October 30th.
  • 2007: Leaked police documents implicate Dr. Brown and other Government figures in the Bermuda Housing Corporation scandal. More info here.
  • 2007: Following the longest political campaign in the island’s history, Dr. Brown leads the PLP to its third consecutive election victory on December 18.
  • 2009: Controversy erupts over the Premier’s unilateral decision to accept former Uighur detainees from Guantanamo Bay into Bermuda.  Dr. Brown survives a move to oust him in the House of Assembly on June 20 when an Opposition no-confidence vote in his leadership fails to attract enough PLP support. The vote was tabled as a consequence of his decision to bring the Uighurs to Bermuda from Cuba.
  • 2010: Dr. Brown announces he will step down, today [Oct 28] is his last day.

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Comments (7)

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  1. Rockfish #2 says:

    For the record,

    Brown attended the BERMUDA TECHNICAL INSTITUTE as well.

    • bernews says:

      Correct…and it is not added yet it as we were unable to confirm the years. If anyone can direct us to a resource, please feel free, help is always welcome. For that matter, any other additions of things are also welcome..

      • Rockfish says:

        I was there at the time,although not in the same class,but I believe it was in the early 60s.
        Stuart Hayward may know the exact time.(He attended as well)

        • bernews says:

          Thanks, I emailed Mr Hayward, he’s always very helpful…thanks for that tip.

      • With Much Respect says:

        No matter what the hype with Dr. Brown’s tenure as Premier of this country, I still like is style and the way he carried himself infront of world dignitaries and politicians. He is a man that can woo many, despite his flaws. Dr. Brown went after the things that mattered to him and of course affected some change, whether we like to admit it or not. After all, listen to the talk shows on the air, you hear nothing but people opening up about what is happening on the Island, be it good or bad, like him, love him or hate him. He has sparked a conversation or to some an argument that will go one for a long time. He has gotten our attention.

        Tonight we will face the new reality of who will become the next Premier Elect, this person too will upset many. And of course as we moes are, the minute one coin is dropped, the unlearned folk will pick it up, not fully knowing the truth and run with gossip, causing chatter to spiral out of control. So, it is not only the Brown’s who will recieve this treatment, this will move to the next person, and may get worse. We are not a satisfiable bunch of humans and always want something for nothing.

        I enjoyed reading his history, obviously he has made a mark all over the world, how mny other Bermudian politicans of done so?

  2. terry says:

    Was a member of the BBC.

  3. terry says:

    Good thing ‘respect’ is annonamous………”moes”……..sounds like a …never mind………