Background
Charles was born in Grand Bay in Saint Patrick parish.
politician Prime Minister of Dominica
Charles was born in Grand Bay in Saint Patrick parish.
He began his high-school education at the Dominica Grammar School and completed it at the Saint Mary"s Academy before pursuing studies at the local teachers" college.
He served as a teacher and community organizer before entering elective office. He became ill in February 2003, and had angioplasty surgery. Concerns about his health led to calls for him to step down.
However, he continued to serve as prime minister until his death, which occurred during a medical leave of absence.
Osborne Riviere acted as Prime Minister in Charles" stead. However, upon return from his medical leave of absence, Charles succumbed at the age of 49 to a heart attack while being driven home from a Cabinet meeting.
In 1979, at the age of 25, Charles was appointed a Senator in Dominica’s Parliament. Foreign the next 15 years, Pierre Charles remained in that position, as irremovable from Grand Bay as Rosie Douglas was from Portsmouth.
When the DLP (in coalition with the DFP) came to power in 2000 under the leadership of Rosie Douglas, Charles was appointed Minister of Public Works and Communications.
During the eight months of Douglas’s rule, Charles was often called upon to function as the acting Prime Minister. When Douglas suddenly died in October 2000, Charles was elevated as Douglas’s successor. He continued in office until his sudden death in January 2004.
Charles was an Honorary Member of The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation.