Learie Nicholas Constantine, Baron Constantine, MBE, was a West Indian cricketer, lawyer and politician. He played 18 Test matches before the Second World War and took the West Indies’ first wicket in Test cricket. In later life he was influential in the passing of the 1965 Race Relations Act in Britain. He served as Trinidad’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and became the UK’s first black peer.
About Learie Constantine in brief
Learie Nicholas Constantine, Baron Constantine, MBE, was a West Indian cricketer, lawyer and politician. He played 18 Test matches before the Second World War and took the West Indies’ first wicket in Test cricket. In later life he was influential in the passing of the 1965 Race Relations Act in Britain. He served as Trinidad’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and became the UK’s first black peer. He died of a heart attack on 1 July 1971, aged 69. Constantine was born in Petit Valley, a village close to Diego Martin in north-west Trinidad, on 21 September 1901. His father, Lebrun Constantine, was the grandchild of slaves; his mother Anaise Pascall was the daughter of slaves, and her brother Victor, was also a Trinidad and West Indian first-class cricketers. Constantine’s brother Elias later represented Trinidad. He was chosen as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1939. He worked for the Ministry of Labour and National Service as a Welfare Officer responsible for West Indians employed in English factories. In 1943, the manager of a London hotel refused to accommodate Constantine and his family on the grounds of their race; Constantine successfully sued the hotel company. Constantine qualified as a barrister in 1954, while also establishing himself as a journalist and broadcaster. He later entered politics and became a founding member of the People’s National Movement, subsequently entering the Trinidad government as minister of communications.
In his final years, he served on the Race Relations Board, the Sports Council and the Board of Governors of the BBC. He faced criticism for becoming a part of the British Establishment, and he died in 1971, at the age of 69. His son Jonathan Ryan, a professional professional bowler, is also a former Test cricket player. He is the author of a book about the history of cricket in Trinidad and Tobago, published by Simon & Schuster, which is available in hardback and on Kindle for £3.99. To order a copy of the book, go to: http://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/cricket/trinidad-and- Tobago-cricketer-history-history/Trinidade-Cricket-History-History.html. The book is also available in paperback for £4.99, with a Kindle version for £2.99 and a Kindle edition for £1.99 (including p&p). For more information on the Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Association, visit: http: www.trinidacricket.org.uk/. For more on the Trinidadian Cricket Association (TIC), visit: www.Trinidad & Tobaga Cricket Association.uk. For more details on the TIC, see: www.tricity.org/cricinfo/trinity-cricInfo.php. For the full list of TIC players, click here: http: Tricity-Cricinfo.org/.
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