Sir Warwick Orlando Franklin, KA, GCM, J.P.
Former Cabinet Minister, Barbados

Sir Warwick Orlando Franklin is a Barbadian surveyor, politician and former Cabinet Minister.

Early life and education

Warwick Orlando Franklin was born in Brereton Village, St. Philip on 9 October 1938 to Cerone and Matilda Franklin. He was the winner of the Chiming Bell Society Scholoarship which allowed him to enter Combermere Secondary School. He went on to receive tertiary training at Trinidad Departmental Survey School on a grant from the Babados Government where he spent four (4) years studying for the intermediate of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors course which included Land Law, Elements of Town Planning and Land Registration Systems.

He returned to Barbados and was appointed Surveyor at Barbados Water Authority and Ministry of Transport and Works, where together with an English surveyor completed the only Geodetic leveling network of Barbados.

He was then awarded a British Technical Assistance Grant which allowed him to attend Waltham Forest Technical College (Now Northeast London University) where he wrote the final in the Cadastral Specialty and submitted a thesis entitled “A land Registration System for Barbados based on the Torrens Title System” for which he was awarded the British Technical Assistance Award (1967-1969).

Career

In 1969, he was Deputy Commissioner of Land Valuation and then Commissioner of Land Valuation in the Ministry of Finance. As Deputy Commissioner Land Valuation he understudied UN-appointed advisors on rural and urban valuations to develop a valuation system for Barbados. He was responsible for the introduction of a site and improved value system for land tax to succeed the rental value method and assisted with training the new staff for the valuation division at the Ministry of Finance.

Franklin has rendered outstanding service to Barbados as a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of St. Philip North from 1981 to 1994 and a Minister of Government from 1986 to 1994 with responsibility for the portfolios of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Labour and Consumer Affairs and Trade. As Minister of Trade, he was the signator of the World Trade Organisation document on behalf of Barbados.

He was also a founding member of the Barbados Association of Professional Valuers.

Personal life

Franklin is married to Grace Maureen Franklin née King and is the father of two sons; Dave and Shawn, and one daughter Dawn Franklin.

Honours and awards

In November 2011, Warwick was awarded the Gold Crown of Merit. In November 2017, the accolade of Kinight of St. Andrew (KA) was conferred on Warwick in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the land surveying profession and to the land and property valuation profession.

Death

Sir Warrick died on 4 December 2019 following a battle with diabetes. He was 81. His twin bother Vallan died almost five years earlier at the age of 76.

He was accorded an Official Funeral on Friday, 20 December 2019 at St. Philip Parish Church, Barbados followed by internment at St Philip’s Parish Churchyard.