In office

6 June 1990 – 19 December

Born – 15 November 1916

Died – 19 December 1995 (aged 79)

Ruth Nita Barrow, born in Barbados, was a pioneering Barbadian nurse, public health advocate, diplomat, and activist whose career was marked by groundbreaking leadership and a deep commitment to social justice. She revolutionized nursing in the Caribbean by transforming training from an apprenticeship model to a formal academic system and helped establish the region’s first advanced nursing program at the University of the West Indies. Barrow was instrumental in forming the Jamaica General Trained Nurses’ Association and championed the passage of Jamaica’s 1951 nurses’ registration bill. She held several historic positions, including being the first West Indian matron of the University College Hospital and the first Principal Nursing Officer in Jamaica, and later served as a global health consultant for the WHO and PAHO. Beyond health, she was a powerful advocate for women’s rights, serving as president of the World YWCA and organizing the landmark UN Decade for Women NGO Forum in Nairobi. Barrow also made significant diplomatic contributions as Barbados’ Ambassador to the United Nations and as the nation’s first and only female Governor-General. Her humanitarian legacy includes her courageous role in the Commonwealth Group of Eminent Persons, where she worked to end apartheid and sought the release of Nelson Mandela.