Cyril Stevenson

Cyril Stevenson
Member of Parliament for Andros and the Berry Islands
In office
1956–1967
Succeeded byLynden Pindling
Personal details
Born(1914-06-13)June 13, 1914
Nassau, Bahamas
DiedNovember 6, 2006(2006-11-06) (aged 92)
Nassau, Bahamas
PartyPLP
SpouseJune Maplethorpe
Children5
OccupationJournalist, Politician

Cyril St. John Stevenson (July 13, 1914 – November 6, 2006) was a Bahamian politician and newspaper publisher. He was a journalist and the owner of the Nassau Herald. Together with Henry Milton Taylor and William Cartwright, Stevenson co-founded the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) in 1953, the first political party in the Bahamas.[1][2] He served as a member of parliament from 1956 to 1967. After his retirement from politics, he led the Bahamas Information Services from 1970 to 1985.[3]

Early life

Stevenson was born in Nassau, Bahamas, on July 13, 1914.[3] He was the youngest child of Henry Macauley "Harry" Stevenson and Georgianna Louise "Lulie" Stevenson.[3][4] His father died in 1915 when he was just fifteen months old.[3] Stevenson attended Sacred Heart School but had to drop out aged 13 when his stepfather also died.[4]

Career

Early journalism career

Stevenson began a career in journalism as a reporter for the Bahamas Weekly News.[3] In June 1952, Stevenson was working as a columnist at the Nassau Guardian.[5] In December 1952, Stevenson was appointed as a member of the Hurricane Relief Committee.[6]

In 1953, William Cartwright, owner of The Bahamas Review, purchased the now defunct newspaper, The Nassau Herald, and Stevenson became editor.[7][8] Later that year, Stevenson and Cartwright travelled to London to cover the coronation.[9] While there, they met with representatives of the Labour Party.[9] They also travelled to Jamaica where they met with members of the Jamaican Labour Party and the People's National Party.[9] Later that year, Stevenson and Cartwright, together with Henry Milton Taylor formed the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).[4][9][10][11] Stevenson became Secretary-General of the party;[11] a post he served in until 1963.[12]

In 1954, Stevenson became the owner of the The Nassau Herald.[4] At times, Stevenson used his editorial control of the Nassau Herald to promote the positions of the PLP party[3][8] and to criticise the ruling government.[7]

Political career

In 1956, Stevenson was elected to the House of Assembly,[13] the lower house of parliament, from the Andros and the Berry Islands constituency.[3] He joined the "Magnificent Six," a group of six MPs who formed the first opposition block in the Bahamas parliament.[4] The group of six PLP parliamentary members consisted of Stevenson, Randol Fawkes, Lynden Pindling, Milo Butler, Sammy Isaacs, and Clarence A. Bain.[13]

The 1958 General Strike led to constitutional reforms in the Bahamas. Previously in order to vote, a person could vote in any district in which they owned property valued of more than $14.[14][15] In addition, there was a corporation vote allowing companies to vote.[14][15] In the house's Constitution Committee, the United Bahamian Party argued for the retention of the plural vote, which would allow rich people to continue to vote in multiple constituencies.[16] In his minority report, Stevenson made his position clear, that elections "to the General Assembly should be based on the [simple] principle of... one person, one vote."[16]

In 1959, Stevenson agitated for the Harry Oakes' case to be reopened.[17][18][19] Weeks before a vote in the House of Assembly, Stevenson’s house was shot at.[18][19]

Stevenson was re-elected to the Assembly in the 1962 election, again representing portions of Andros Island and the Berry Islands.[3] He lost his re-election in 1967, when he ran as an independent candidate and left the PLP.[20] He retired from politics after his 1967 electoral defeat,[3] but rejoined the PLP in 1970.[18]

Later years

Stevenson became head of the Bahamas Information Services, a government department, in 1970.[3] He gave control of his printing business to family members that same year to focus on his work with the Bahamas Information Services. He remained head of the Bahamas Information Services until his retirement in 1985.[3]

Awards and honours

Stevenson was made a Member of the Royal Victorian Order in 1975.[21] In 1982, he was also made a Knight Commander and Knight Grand Cross of Malta.[18]

He received an award for contributions to journalism by the Bahamas Press Club in 1999.[3] In 2000, Jones Communication Limited also named Stevenson one of the 100 Most Outstanding Bahamians of the 20th century.[3]

Death and legacy

Cyril Stevenson died on November 6, 2006 at the age of 92.[12] He was survived by his wife[12] of 47 years, June Ellen Stevenson (née Maplethorpe), and five children.[3] A state funeral was held at Christ Church Cathedral in Nassau on November 16, 2006.[3]

References

  1. ^ Nixon, Celeste (8 June 2012). "PLP Founder Cartwright Dies". The Tribune. Nassau, Bahamas. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  2. ^ Jones Jr., Royston (8 June 2012). "PLP Co-founder William Cartwright Dies at 89". The Nassau Guardian. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Official memorial service set for Stevenson". Freeport News. 16 November 2006.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Official Memorial Service for Cyril Stevenson is Planned for Tomorrow". The Tribune. Nassau, Bahamas. 15 November 2006. p. 9. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  5. ^ Reeves, Henry Ethelbert Sigismund (28 June 1952). "Vacationing in Nassau". The Miami Times. p. 4. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  6. ^ Wilson, Leonard A. (27 December 1952). "In and Around the Bahamas". The Miami Times. p. 8. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  7. ^ a b Saunders, Gail (2016). Race and class in the colonial Bahamas: 1880-1960 (1st ed.). Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida. ISBN 978-0-8130-5155-0.
  8. ^ a b Smith, Larry (15 November 2006). "The Contribution of Cyril Stevenson to Bahamian Politics and History". The Tribune. Nassau, Bahamas. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d Galanis, Philip (13 November 2023). "The PLP at 70, pt. 1". The Nassau Guardian. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  10. ^ "Cyril Stevenson, co-founder of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) of the Bahamas and prolific newspaper publisher". Bahamianology. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  11. ^ a b Burt, Al (1 July 1973). "20-Year 'Revolution' Gave Bahamas Independence". The Miami Herald. pp. CW1, CW4. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  12. ^ a b c Helig, Karen (8 November 2006). "PLP Founding Member, Cyril Stevenson, Dies". The Tribune. Nassau, Bahamas. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  13. ^ a b Saunders, Gail (2016). Race and class in the colonial Bahamas: 1880-1960 (1st ed.). Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida. ISBN 978-0-8130-5155-0.
  14. ^ a b "Bahamas Strike Tied to Race Issue". New York Times. 17 January 1958. p. 2. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  15. ^ a b "The Bahamas: Strike for Power". TIME magazine. 27 January 1958. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  16. ^ a b Aranha, Stephen B. (2022). Towards a Democratic Suffrage: Franchise Reform in the Twentieth-Century Bahamas. Global Perspectives on Legal History. Vol. 20. Frankfurt: Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory. pp. 122–124. doi:10.12946/gplh20. ISBN 978-3-944773-38-4.
  17. ^ "The Bahamas: The Trouble with Harry". 1 June 1959. last week Cyril Stevenson, an irreverent minority member of Nassau's House of Assembly, loudly claimed that he knew who did Sir Harry in.... Dark-skinned Cyril Stevenson. 45, editor of the weekly Nassau Herald, has never wasted any love on the potent clique of financiers and real-estate barons known as the "Bay Street Pirates" who control the Assembly.
  18. ^ a b c d "Trying To Reopen Harry Oakes Case Almost Costs Cyril Stevenson His Life 1959". Bahamianology. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  19. ^ a b "Shots fired through his window when he called for a new investigation into Harry Oakes case". The Tribune. Nassau, Bahamas. 8 November 2006. p. 6. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  20. ^ Turner, Wallace (24 January 1967). "A 'Sound' Regime is Goal in Nassau; New Negro Leaders Plan No Sweeping Changes". New York Times. p. 7. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  21. ^ "Appointments to the Royal Victorian Order". Gazette (46529). London: 3982. 25 March 1975.

Smith, Larry (15 November 2006) "The Contribution of Cyril Stevenson to Bahamian Politics and History". The Tribune. Nassau, Bahamas.

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