Ralph Everad Gonsalves was born on August 08, 1946 to Alban Gonsalves and Theresa Francis in Colonarie, a rural village in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He is married to Eloise Gonsalves nee Harris and has three sons (Camillo, Adam and Storm), and two daughters (Isis and Soleil).
Dr. Gonsalves was educated in St. Vincent and the Grenadines at the Colonarie Roman Catholic School and at the St. Vincent Boys’ Grammar School. He later completed a Bachelors Degree in Economics at the University of the West Indies, there obtaining several noteworthy accolades including, President of the Debating Society and President of the Guild of Undergraduates. In 1971 he obtained a Masters in Government from the University of the West Indies. In 1974 and 1981 he obtained a Ph. D in Government and a Degree of Utter Barrister at University of Manchester, England and Gray’s Inn, London, respectively.
Dr. Gonsalves became the Deputy Political Leader of the Unity Labour Party (ULP) in 1994. The ULP, a merger of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Labour Party and the Movement for National Unity (MNU), a political party which at the time of the merger Dr. Gonsalves was the leader, won the St. Vincent and the Grenadines General Elections held on March 28, 2001. At the time of the elections Dr. Gonsalves had since been elected to Political Leader of the ULP and such he became the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines on that same date, March 28, 2001. He has remained Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines since then, winning the elections again in December 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020.
Concurrently while pursuing his political career and prior to his becoming the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. Gonsalves practiced law extensively and successfully before the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in a wide range of matters, but particularly in the fields of constitutional law, administrative law, matrimonial law, real property law, law of tort generally and the law of contract.
Dr. Gonsalves has researched, written and published extensively on a range of matters touching upon the Caribbean, African, trade unionism, comparative political economy, and developmental issues generally. Among his latest publications are: History and the Future: A Caribbean Perspective (Quik Print, St. Vincent, 1994), The Politics of Our Caribbean Civilisation – Essays and Speeches (Great Works Depot, St. Vincent, 2001), The Making of the Comrade: The Political Journey of Ralph Gonsalves (SFI Books 2010); Diary of a Prime Minister: Ten Days Among Benedictine Monks (SFI Books 2010); The Case for Caribbean Reparatory Justice (2014); Our Caribbean and Global Insecurity (2017); The Making of a National Hero: Law and Practice in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SFI Books 2018); The Political Economy of the Labour Movement in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SFI Books 2019); The Trial of George Mc Intosh and the 1935 Uprising in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SFI Books 2020); The Atomised Individual, The Social Individual and the Covid Vaccine (SFI Books, 2021); The Idea of Barbados (SFI Books, 2021); A Time of Respair: Beyond COVID, Volcanic Eruptions, Hurricane Elsa and Global Turmoil – Fresh Hope for St. Vincent and the Grenadines (2022)
Delivering for North Central Windward
- Built the Modern Medical Diagnostic Center (in Chili)
- Delivered the Education Revolution & Provided Scholarships
- Improved coastal defenses & upgraded playfield upgrades
- Provided affordable lands to constituents.
Vision for North Central Windward
- Create Jobs: Expand employment opportunities through targeted initiatives.
- Upgrade Facilities: Continue improving sporting grounds and health centers.
- Fix Roads & Drains: Intensify repairs and maintenance of critical infrastructure.
- Boost Agriculture: Build more feeder roads and establish an agro-processing facility.
- Train for Better Jobs: Offer technical and vocational training for higher-paying careers.