Often portrayed in paintings as a frowning, stern character, Sir Springer was a warm, talented and highly accomplished man. Throughout his career in Bajan politics he held many major roles including:
- Member of the House of Assembly
- General Secretary of the BLP
- Acting Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Barbados
- Director of the Commonwealth Education Liaison Unit » Commonwealth Assistant Secretary General
- Secretary General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities
The Parliament Museum in Bridgetown explains how Hugh Springer went to Oxford University with a Scolarship from Harrison College and although there is a lot written about how he received a BA from his studies, very few sources will tell you that his BA was for studying Greek! He then continued to London where he read law at the Inner Temple and was called to the bar in 1938. The All Souls dining hall at Hertford College, Oxford, has his portrait still hanging to this day.
Sir Springer had his career as a Barrister and when his political career took off, he made sure he did it well. Turning heads in the Progressive League, Springer created a new division that later became the BWI. As the first General Secretary of the Barbados Workers Union his role laid the foundations for a much more unified working Barbados. Agricultural workers were brought together, divided groups working in the docks were no longer divided and his membership expanded to the utilities, government workers and clerical roles too.
His legacy is enormous and he is often recalled as one of the greatest Bajans of all time. Accomplished a lot, he did.
| Barbados Parliament Museum, Bridgetown |
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