Martin R. Joseph was a Trinidad and Tobago politician and former Cabinet Minister.

Early life and education

Martin Joseph was born in Trinidad and Tobago in 1950.  His formal education includes a Master’s of Science in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park, USA; a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Regional Science: Minor in Economics, George Washington University, Washington D.C. USA; and an Associate Degree, Marine Sciences, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C. 

Career

Joseph was elected to the House of Representatives in 1995 as the Member of Parliament for the St. Ann’s east Constituency on the People’s National Movement (PNM) ticket. 

His appointment as a Cabinet minister began in 2001 when he assumed the portfolio of Minister of Public Utilities and the Environment. In October 2002, he was made a Government Senator and was given the portfolio of Minister of Housing, an appointment he held until November 2003. Joseph was appointed Minister of National Security in November 2003 and remained in that position until 2010.

Joseph's professional accomplishments include participation on Committees to reform the structure by which the Parliament is managed; Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Public Transport Service Corporation (1992-1995); Member of the Board of Directors of the National Flour Mills Company Limited (1992-1995); Associate Faculty Member of Henley's Management College, United Kingdom, and Lecturer in Strategic Management at the Institute of Business of the University of the West Indies. 

Death

Joseph drowned in Grange Bay in southwestern Tobago on 4 January 2015. He was 65.