Eric Gairy

Eric Gairy, Grenadan politician, 1st Prime Minister of Grenada (died 1997)

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Born: February 18, 1922
Died: August 23, 1997
Zodiac sign: Aquarius
Birth year: 1922

About Eric Gairy

Sir Eric Matthew Gairy PC (18 February 1922 – 23 August 1997) was the first Prime Minister of Grenada, serving from his country's independence in 1974 until his overthrow in a coup by Maurice Bishop in 1979. Gairy also served as head of government in pre-independence Grenada as Chief Minister from 1961 to 1962 and as Premier from 1967 to 1974. == Early days in Grenada: 1922–41 == Eric Matthew Gairy was the son of Douglas and Theresa Gairy, and was born 18 February 1922 in Dunfermline, St. Andrew's Parish on the eastern side of the island near Grenville, Grenada. He attended the LaFillette School and then the St. Andrews Roman Catholic Senior School. He was also an acolyte at St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church, next door to the school. He became a primary "student-teacher" in the LaFillette School from January 1939 to September 1941. He moved to Aruba where he worked several years in the oil refinery of the Lago Oil and Transport Company.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

In 1950 he founded the Grenada Manual & Metal Workers Union (GMMWU) and was deeply involved in encouraging the 1951 general strike for better working conditions.
Gairy was returned in a by-election in July 1961 and became Chief Minister, as his party held a majority in the Legislative Council since winning the 1961 general election.

Eric Gairy timeline

1922Sir Eric Matthew Gairy PC (18 February 1922 – 23 August 1997) was the first Prime Minister of Grenada, serving from his country's independence in 1974 until his overthrow in a coup by Maurice Bishop in 1979.
1950In 1950 he founded the Grenada Manual & Metal Workers Union (GMMWU) and was deeply involved in encouraging the 1951 general strike for better working conditions.
1961Gairy was returned in a by-election in July 1961 and became Chief Minister, as his party held a majority in the Legislative Council since winning the 1961 general election.
1961Gairy also served as head of government in pre-independence Grenada as Chief Minister from 1961 to 1962 and as Premier from 1967 to 1974.

The world when Eric Gairy was born

Eric Gairy was born in 1922. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1922

#1 song"Chicago" – Fred Fisher
Top movieNosferatu
Best-selling bookUlysses – James Joyce

Headlines and milestones

Major sports momentGene Sarazen wins the U.S. Open at age 20
Top headlineMussolini marches on Rome and seizes power in Italy
Technology milestoneBBC begins radio broadcasts
Defining fadCrossword puzzles
Notable inventionWater skiing invented in Minnesota
World population1.90 billion

United States snapshot

U.S. leaderWarren G. Harding
Sports championNew York Giants (World Series)
U.S. population110.0M

1922 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Eric Gairy's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure	1922	2026
Gas	$0.25	$3.45/gal
Average home	$5,600	$435,000
Average income	$3,270	$67,500
Movie ticket	$0.15	$11.95
Postage stamp	$0.02	$0.73
Population	110.0M	341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Library of Congress, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.