Former Antigua Speaker, Attorney General Sir Gerald Watt dies at 86

Former Antiguian Speaker of the House of Representatives and former Attorney General Sir Gerald Owen Anderson Watt, KCN, KC, has died. He passed away on Saturday at the age of 86 while receiving medical treatment.

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Sir Gerald, one of Antigua and Barbuda’s most prominent legal minds and public servants, would have celebrated his 87th birthday on December 19.

Born on December 19, 1938, Sir Gerald had a long and distinguished career in law and politics. He represented St. John’s Rural East in Parliament from 1971 to 1976 and served as attorney general during that period while also holding responsibility as Minister of National Security, Labour, and Legal Affairs.

He later served as chairman of the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission, president of the Antigua and Barbuda Bar Association, and was widely regarded as one of the country’s most respected attorneys. A King’s Counsel, Sir Gerald headed the law firm Watt, Dorsett, Hewlett Law. Partner Dr. David Dorsett described him as “one of a kind.”

Sir Gerald was appointed Speaker of the House of Representatives on June 25, 2014, a role he held for more than a decade before resigning in November 2024. In September 2024, he had announced his intention to retire at the end of the parliamentary session.

In 2023, Sir Gerald was re-elected Speaker following the first secret ballot vote in the nation’s history for the position. Three candidates were nominated from the floor — Sir Gerald, former prime minister Baldwin Spencer, and lawyer Sherrie-Ann Bradshaw. Sir Gerald was nominated by Prime Minister Gaston Browne, Spencer by Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle, and Bradshaw by independent MP Asot Michael.

Later that year, the United Progressive Party (UPP) raised allegations of partisanship against Sir Gerald, with Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle indicating plans to bring a motion of no confidence. The claims centered on allegations of political prejudice and the treatment of opposition MPs, including the suspension of St. Peter MP Asot Michael for three sittings in May 2023.

Sir Gerald’s career spanned decades of public service, legal leadership, and parliamentary governance, marking him as a central figure in Antigua and Barbuda’s political and legal history.