Hubert Ingraham

Hubert Ingraham (born August 4, 1947, Pine Ridge, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas) is a Bahamian political leader who served three terms as prime minister of The Bahamas (1992–2002; 2007–12).

Ingraham was educated at local schools in The Bahamas. He became a member of the bar in 1972 and entered into a private law practice. He served on various public agencies and during the 1970s became a member of the top decision-making circles of the ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP). A protégé of Sir Lynden Pindling, considered to be the founding father of The Bahamas, he was elected to the House of Assembly as a PLP member in 1977 and was reelected in 1982, and he served in the cabinet as the minister of housing, national insurance, and social services from 1982 to 1984. After making charges that the Pindling government had become corrupt, Ingraham was dismissed from the cabinet in 1984, but he won reelection to the House of Assembly in 1987 as an independent. He joined the Free National Movement (FNM) in 1990 and was the leader of the official opposition from 1990 to 1992. When the FNM won the 1992 elections for the House of Assembly, Ingraham replaced Pindling as prime minister.

Ingraham not only pledged to rid the government of corruption and to conduct an open administration but also emphasized economic renewal for the country. He promoted liberalized policies designed to encourage foreign investment, as well as measures to increase tourism, which remained the mainstay of the country’s economy. He also set forth a program to privatize a number of industries, including tourist hotels. In the 1997 parliamentary elections the FNM won a decisive majority, and Ingraham began a second five-year term as prime minister.

In the 2002 general election the FNM was defeated by the PLP. Although the loss was decisive, with the FNM losing 28 of its 35 parliamentary seats, by the time of the 2007 general election the party’s fortunes had improved. The FNM, under Ingraham’s leadership, won the May elections by a comfortable margin, and he took office as prime minister once again. During his administration, however, the country was plagued by a rising crime rate and high unemployment, and a perceived lack of progress on those issues led to public dissatisfaction with the government. In the May 2012 general elections the PLP defeated the FNM and returned to power. Although Ingraham won reelection to his seat in the House of Assembly, he announced his retirement from politics.