Gerard Luz Amwur James II | |
---|---|
![]() | |
8th Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands | |
In office January 4, 1999 –January 6, 2003 | |
Governor | Charles Turnbull |
Preceded by | Kenneth Mapp |
Succeeded by | Vargrave Richards |
Personal details | |
Born | Saint Croix,United States Virgin Islands | March 18,1953
Political party | Democratic |
Alma mater | Howard University |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() |
Rank | ![]() |
Gerard Luz Amwur James II (born March 18,1953) is an American Virgin Islander politician,funeral director,and businessman. James served as the Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands from 1999 until 2003 and was the president of Fifth Constitutional Convention of the U.S. Virgin Islands. [1]
James was born in Saint Croix on March 18,1953, [1] to parents G. Luz A. James and Asta Maria Klyvert-James. He was the family's first son and second child. He attended St. Mary's Catholic school and the Christiansted Junior High in St. Croix Virgin Islands,before enrolling at the now defunct St. Emma's Military Academy in Powhatan,Virginia. In January 1970,he was transferred to Miami Military Academy where he graduated in 1971.Miami Military Academy in Florida.
James received a bachelor's degree in political science from Howard University in 1975. [1] He enlisted in the U.S. Army,where he served for six years. [1] He was promoted to the rank of captain [1] before being honorably discharged in 1981.
He studied mortuary science at American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service and in November 1983,became a License Funeral Director of the State of New York,before returning to the United States Virgin Islands. James opened his funeral home,the James Memorial Funeral Home. In February 1984,Christiansted,which he still owns and operate as of 2021 . [1]
Gerard Luz Amwur James II began his political career in 1992 when he was elected a Senator in the 20th Virgin Islands Legislature. [1] During his first term as a member of the majority,he chaired the Committee of Rules which is second in power to the Committee of Finance in the Legislature. He also debated vigorously under extreme pressure in favor of the Virgin Island Government purchase of the West Indian Company Dock which since has been a vital part of the Virgin Islands economy. In 1994,James was re-elected to the 21st Legislature however this time he was a minority member. During the 21st Legislature Senator James brought legislation that aided AT&T to bring Fiber Optic to the islands of St. Croix,which expanded the world of telecommunications in the Virgin Islands. The election of 1996,Senator James was unsuccessful in regaining his seat in the senate,thus he returned to his profession at the funeral home.
In 1998,Charles Turnbull,a candidate for Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands,chose James as his running mate for lieutenant governor. [1] The Turnull-James ticket was elected in the 1998 gubernatorial election. [1] James was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor on Monday,January 4,1999. [2]
Turnbull and James had high profile,public disagreements during their tenure in office. [1] [3] The dispute led James to challenge Turnbull in the 2002 gubernatorial election. [1] However,Turnbull defeated James and other challengers in the election. [1] The Governor replaced named Vargrave Richards as his new Lieutenant Governor. [4]
James was the president of the Fifth Constitutional Convention of the U.S. Virgin Islands. [5]
Gerard Luz James announced his candidacy for Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands as a Democrat. [1] His campaign was officially launched on was made on August 1, 2010, in Buddhoe Park in Frederiksted. [1] James chose Glen J. Smith, an educator, as his running mate. [1]
James and Smith faced three opponents and two other candidates in the Democratic primary election on September 11, 2010 – incumbent Governor John de Jongh, Senator Adlah Donastorg and James O'Bryan Jr. [1] In the primary election, James came in third place behind the primary's winner, De Jongh, and Donastorg, who came in second place. [6] Following the primary, James stated that he "accepted the people's decision," but further elaborated, "The people of the Virgin Islands showed me today that they really and truly endure mistreatment, endure corruption, endure mismanagement, and they also endure maltreatment to each other...The only thing that I can see is continued destruction, and it's sad, sad, sad." [6] James stated that he would not endorse Governor John de Jongh for a second term in the 2010 general election saying, "Why should I endorse anyone when it shows me truly that the people don't want to have anything that is right?" [6]
Politics of the United States Virgin Islands takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic dependency, whereby the governor is the head of the territory's government, and of a multi-party system. United States Virgin Islands are an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs of the United States Department of the Interior. Executive power is exercised by the local government of the Virgin Islands. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
John Percy de Jongh Jr. is an American businessman and politician who served as the Governor of the United States Virgin Islands from 2007 to 2015. He has been active in Virgin Islands politics and the business community since returning to St. Thomas after graduating from college in 1981. De Jongh has been involved in community development, commercial banking, served on the boards of business and philanthropic organizations, appointed to government positions and elected to public office.
Juan Francisco Luis was a Puerto Rican-U.S. Virgin Islander politician who served as the third elected Governor of the United States Virgin Islands, and the territory's 23rd governor overall. As lieutenant governor, Luis assumed the governorship on January 2, 1978, succeeding Governor Cyril King, who died in office. He served as governor from 1978 until 1987, becoming the longest-serving governor in the history of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Gregory R. Francis is an American Virgin Islands politician. A Democrat, he served as Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands from January 1, 2007 to January 5, 2015, having been elected on a ticket with Governor John de Jongh.
The 2010 U.S. Virgin Islands gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2010, and won by incumbent Democratic Governor John de Jongh. De Jongh was elected to his first term in 2006 with 56% of the vote over Kenneth Mapp.
Adlah Alphonso "Foncie" Donastorg, Jr. is a U.S. Virgin Islander politician, who served as a Senator in the Legislature of the Virgin Islands for seven terms from January 1995 through January 2011. He was most recently a Democratic candidate for Governor of the United States Virgin Islands in the 2010 and the 2014 gubernatorial elections.
Samuel Baptiste is a United States Virgin Islands politician and businessman. He was most recently a Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands in 2010 as the running mate of Senator Adlah Donastorg Jr.
Gerard Luz A. James, better known as G. Luz A. James, was a U.S. Virgin Islander politician, lawyer, businessman and broadcaster. James was also the first Virgin Islander to become an adjutant general in the Virgin Islands National Guard.
Kenneth Ezra Mapp is an American politician who served as the eighth elected Governor of the United States Virgin Islands, from 2015 to 2019. He is registered Republican, but ran as an independent.
James "Jimmy" O'Bryan Jr. is a United States Virgin Islander politician, spokesman and former press secretary. He previously served as the Administrator of the island of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Vargrave A. Richards is an American Virgin Islands politician and educator. Richards served as the Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands from 2003 until 2007 during the second term of Democratic Governor Charles Turnbull.
Pamela C. Richards Samuel (1959-2024) was a U.S. Virgin Islander politician. Most recently, Richards Samuel was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands in the 2010 election as the running mate of Democratic gubernatorial candidate James O'Bryan Jr. She has previously served as the former Commissioner of Tourism of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The United States Virgin Islands general election was held on November 2, 2010. Voters chose the Governor of the United States Virgin Islands, the non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives and all fifteen seats in the Legislature of the Virgin Islands. The election coincided with the 2010 United States general election.
Julio A. Brady was an American Virgin Islander judge, politician and attorney. Brady served as the Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands from 1983 to 1987 during the second term of former Governor Juan Francisco Luis. Prior to his death, Brady served as a U.S. Virgin Islands Superior Court judge since 2006.
Derek M. Hodge was an American Virgin Islander politician and lawyer who served as the Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands for two terms from 1987 to 1995 under Governor Alexander Farrelly. The Virgin Islands Daily News called him a "towering figure in local politics," referring to his political career, which spanned several decades.
The 2014 U.S. Virgin Islands gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the Governor of the United States Virgin Islands. Incumbent Democratic Governor John de Jongh was term-limited and was unable run for re-election to a third term in office. Since no candidate received a majority in the general election, as required by the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands, a runoff was held between Donna Christian-Christensen and Kenneth Mapp, the two top vote receivers. Mapp went on to win the run off in a landslide victory, with almost 63% of the vote.
Ruby M. Rouss was an American citizen born on Saint Croix in the US Virgin Islands. Her career was marked by a series of firsts. She was the first Virgin Islander in the Women's Army Corps (WAC), first African-American woman to serve on General Eisenhower’s staff, and first black woman assigned as a permanent staff of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. After a 20-year military career, she retired from service and became the first woman parole officer in St. Croix. In 1973, she was elected as one of the first women to serve in the Virgin Island's legislature. In 1981, Rouss served as the first female President of the Virgin Islands Legislature, becoming the first black woman to lead a legislature in the United States. She was elected to serve a second presidency of the Senate in 1987 and died the following year. Posthumously, she was inducted into the Virgin Island's Women's Hall of Fame and a housing project in St. Croix was renamed in her honor.
The 2018 U.S. Virgin Islands gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to select the Governor of the United States Virgin Islands. The election was held concurrently with the 2018 United States midterm elections. On Election Day, November 6, Bryan earned 38.08% of the vote, with Mapp coming in second with 33.45%. Since no candidate received a majority of the general election vote, as required by the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands, a runoff was held 14 days later between Albert Bryan Jr. and Incumbent Governor Kenneth Mapp, the top two vote-getters. On November 20, 2018, Democrat Albert Bryan Jr. won the runoff with 54.5% of the vote.
Albert Bryan Jr. is an American politician serving since 2019 as the ninth governor of the United States Virgin Islands.
The 28th Virgin Islands Legislature was a meeting of the Legislature of the Virgin Islands. It convened in Charlotte Amalie on January 12, 2009, during the last two years of Governor John de Jongh’s first term.