Willard Wheatley MBE (16 July 1915 – 22 January 1997) was a British Virgin Islands educator and politician who served two consecutive terms as the Chief Minister of the British Virgin Islands from 1971 to 1979. He was the second ever Chief Minister of the Territory, and the first ever minister of finance. He served as Chief Minister at the head of two different coalition governments: one as de facto leader of the United Party, and the other the VI Democratic Party.
Willard Wheatley | |
|---|---|
| Chief Minister of the British Virgin Islands | |
| In office 2 June 1971 – 12 November 1979 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor | Derek George Cudmore Walter Wilkinson Wallace James Alfred Davidson |
| Preceded by | Lavity Stoutt |
| Succeeded by | Lavity Stoutt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 July 1915 Tortola, British Virgin Islands |
| Died | 22 January 1997 (aged 81) Tortola, British Virgin Islands |
| Political party | VI Democratic Party United Party |
At an event to commemorate what would have been the 100th birthday of Wheatley, then Premier Orlando Smith made a commitment to provide public funds to memorialise his achievements and for a book about his life to be published.[1]
His grandson Natalio Wheatley became Premier of the British Virgin Islands in May 2022.
Electoral history
| Year | District | Party | Votes | Percentage | Winning/losing margin | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 6th District | Independent | -- | -- | -- | Won |
| 1975 | 6th District | BVI United Party | 319 | 52.7% | +33 | Won |
| 1979 | 8th District | BVI United Party | Unopposed | Won | ||
| 1983 | 8th District | BVI United Party | Unopposed | Won | ||
| 1986 | 8th District | BVI United Party | 166 | 47.6% | -12 | Lost L. Walters |
| 1990 | 8th District | Progressive People's Democratic Party | 139 | 26.5% | -175 | Lost L. Walters |
| 1995 | At-large | Independent | 265 | 1.36% | -1,123* | Lost |
| * For at-large candidates (general elections) who won, this is the vote differential from the 5th placed candidate (i.e. the candidate with the highest number of votes who was not elected). For at-large candidates who lose, this is the vote differential from the 4th placed candidate (i.e. the candidate with the lowest number of votes who was elected). | ||||||