Dr. Kurleigh Dennis King was a former Economist and Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados.

Early life and education

Kurleigh Dennis King was born in Barbados in 1933. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from London University in England, a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Columbia University in New York.

Career

Dr. King was Secretary-General of CARICOM from 1979-1983. He assumed the position of Secretary-General at a particularly difficult period in the life of the integration movement including a two-year hiatus in the filling of that post. His tenure was notable for the great managerial and organisational skills he brought to the Community.

Dr. King assumed the duties of Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados on 15 September 1987.

A former Director of Finance and Planning for the Government of Barbados, Dr. King helped build the country's economy into one of the strongest in the Caribbean as General Manager of the Barbados Industrial Development Corporation. He was also Assistant Dean of the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University in New York City from 1967 to 1968.

Dr. King opposed devaluation of the Barbadian dollar during the early 1990s, a position that many analysts said helped that country survive a global recession. He was also one of the original members of the Board of the Central Bank of Barbados and served in that capacity until 1974.

Dr. King’s tenure with the Bank ended on 14 September 1992.

Honours and awards

In 1983, the Queen and the Barbadian government awarded Dr. King the Gold Crown of Merit of Barbados for his contribution to Caribbean co-operation.

Death

Dr. King died of cancer in Iowa on 27 November 1998. He was 65. He was survived by his wife, Dr. Carolyn Gaylord King, and a daughter, Marcia Muttoo.