Person

Eric Gairy

1922–1997 · 20th century

Eric Gairy was a Grenadian trade unionist and politician who led the labour unrest of 1951 and founded the Grenada United Labour Party. He became chief minister, then premier, and led Grenada to independence in 1974 as its first prime minister. His rule grew authoritarian, relying on the Mongoose Gang, and Maurice Bishop's New Jewel Movement overthrew him in 1979.

Eric Gairy — Image: White House · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Colony of Grenada Grenada

See also

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Eric Gairy. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/eric-gairy
MLA: “Eric Gairy.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/eric-gairy. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Eric Gairy.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/eric-gairy.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Eric Gairy’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/eric-gairy (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻