Constantine, Learie [key], 1902–71, West Indian cricket player and the first black man to sit in the British House of Lords, b. Trinidad. The son of a sugar plantation foreman, he became world famous as a cricket player in the 1920s and 30s. He settled in England (1929), and after World War II studied law and was called to the bar. Returning to Trinidad, he began a career in public service, first as minister of works and transport and then as Trinidad's high commissioner in London (1962–64). He was knighted in 1962 and raised to the peerage in 1969.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: West Indian History, British: Biographies
