2019 | Sir Cornelius A. Smith, GCMG

HIS EXCELLENCY
SIR  Cornelius A. Smith GCMG

GOVERNOR-GENERAL
2019 - 2023

His Excellency the Most Honorable Sir Cornelius Alvin Smith was sworn as the 11^th Governor-General on 28^th June, 2019. He was born at Long Island to Sylvanus and Susan Smith on April 7, 1937.  He received his primary education at Glinton’s Public All Age School in Long Island and his secondary education at the Bahamas Teacher’s Training College in Nassau, The Bahamas.

He received his Cambridge Junior Certificate in 1951 and his Cambridge Senior Certificate in 1952. From 1954 to 1956 he attended the Bahamas Teachers’ Training College and received the Bahamas Teachers’ Training Certificate. He holds the Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Miami.

A dedicated public servant, His Excellency has served at the highest levels of the public service, including public school principal and customs revenue officer for more than a decade.

In 1965, His Excellency was appointed Managing Director of E.H.Mundy & Company, where he was responsible for the formation and development of the travel and tour subsidiary of E.H.Mundy &Co (Bahamas) Ltd.

He joined the Chemical Division of Syntex Corporation in 1967 and served as Director of Employee Relations until 1982. As Director of Employee Relations he was responsible for employment, training, benefits and compensation, and government and labour relations.

A community and political activist, the Honourable Cornelius A. Smith entered front-line politics in the early seventies and is a founding member of the governing Free National Movement (FNM).  He was elected to represent the people of the Marco City constituency in 1982 and was re-elected three times, serving this constituency for twenty successive years, from 1982 to 2002.

From 1982 to 1992 he served as Opposition Spokesperson on education, public safety and tourism matters. He also served on the House Select Committee on illicit drug trafficking within and through The Bahamas and on the Constituency Boundaries Commission.

In 1992, the Honourable Cornelius A. Smith was appointed to serve in the first Free National Movement Cabinet, under the leadership of the Right Honourable Hubert A. Ingraham.

During his long and distinguished political career, he served the people of The Bahamas as a senior minister in the portfolios of Education (1992–1995), Public Safety and Immigration (1995–1997), Tourism (1997–2000) and Transport and Local Government (2000–2002).

For his long and dedicated service in the Cabinet of The Bahamas, he was awarded the title of Honourable for life in 2002.

A political strategist, the Honourable C. A. Smith served as the National Election Campaign Coordinator for the Free National Movement in its successful bid to re-elect the Free National Movement as the governing party in the 2007 general election. In 2016 he was reappointed as the National Election Campaign Coordinator for the Free National Movement and again successfully piloted the party to the historic victory of 2017.

From 2007 to 2012, His Excellency the Honourable Cornelius A. Smith served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to the United States of America and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) and Non-Resident Ambassador to the countries of Mexico, Malaysia and Columbia.

In 2017 he was appointed The Bahamas Non-Resident Ambassador to six Central American countries, including Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

A committed civic-minded individual, His Excellency the Honourable Cornelius A. Smith has, for more than half a century, provided leadership to the Bahamian community and to a number of social and civic organizations, including the Bahamas Jaycees, the Kiwanis Club of Lucaya, the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce, and the Bahamas Association of Manpower Training and Development (BAMTAD).  In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the civic life of The Bahamas, Rotary recognized him as a Paul Harris Fellow.

He is married to the former Clara Elizabeth Knowles and the couple have three children