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Learie Nicholas Constantine, Baron Constantine (21 September 19011 July 1971) was a West Indian cricketer, lawyer and politician who served as Trinidad's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and became the UK's first black peer. He played 18 Test matches before the Second World War and took the West Indies' first wicket in Test cricket. An advocate against racial discrimination, in later life he was influential in the passing of the Race Relations Act in Britain. He was knighted in 1962 and made a life peer in 1969. Born in Trinidad, Constantine established an early reputation as a promising cricketer, and was a member of the West Indies teams that toured England in 1923 and 1928. Unhappy at the lack of opportunities for black people in Trinidad, he decided to pursue a career as a professional cricketer in England, and during the 1928 tour was awarded a professional contract with the Lancashire League club Nelson. He played for the club with great distinction between 1929 and 1938, while continuing as a member of the West Indies Test team in tours of England and Australia. Although his record as a Test cricketer was less impressive than in other cricket he helped to establish a uniquely West Indian style of play. He was chosen as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1939. After working during the Second World War for the Ministry of Labour and National Service as a Welfare Officer responsible for West Indians employed in English factories, Constantine qualified as a barrister in 1954, while also establishing himself as a journalist and broadcaster. He returned to Trinidad in 1954, entered politics and became a founding member of the People's National Movement, subsequently entering the Trinidad government as minister of communications. In 1961 he returned to England as Trinidad's High Commissioner, serving until 1964. In his final years, he served on the Race Relations Board, the Sports Council and the Board of Governors of the BBC. Failing health reduced his effectiveness in some of these roles, and he faced criticism for becoming a part of the British Establishment. He died of a heart attack on 1 July 1971, aged 69. ==Early life== Constantine was born in Petit Valley, a village close to Diego Martin in north-west Trinidad, on 21 September 1901, the second child of the family and the eldest of three brothers.〔 〕〔 His father, Lebrun Constantine, was the grandchild of slaves;〔 Lebrun rose to the position of overseer on a cocoa estate in Cascade, near Maraval, where the family moved in 1906.〔〔Howat (1976), p. 26.〕 Lebrun was famous on the island as a cricketer who represented Trinidad in first-class cricket and toured England twice with a West Indian team.〔Mason, pp. 2–3.〕〔Howat (1976), p. 23.〕 Constantine's mother, Anaise Pascall, was the daughter of slaves, and her brother Victor, was also a Trinidad and West Indian first-class cricketer;〔Mason, p. 3.〕 in addition, a third family member, Constantine's brother Elias later represented Trinidad.〔Mason, p. 4.〕 Constantine wrote that although the family was not wealthy, his childhood was happy. He spent a lot of time playing in the hills near his home or on the estates where his father and grandfather worked.〔Howat (1976), pp. 26–27.〕〔Mason, p. 2.〕 He enjoyed cricket from an early age;〔 the family regularly practised together under the supervision of Lebrun and Victor Pascall.〔Howat (1976), p. 28.〕 Constantine first went to the St Ann's Government School in Port of Spain, then attended St Ann's Roman Catholic School until 1917.〔Mason, p. 5.〕 He displayed little enthusiasm for learning and never reached a high academic standard,〔 but showed prowess at several sports and was respected for his cricketing lineage. He played for the school cricket team, which he captained in his last two years,〔Howat (1976), pp. 28–29.〕 by which time he was developing a reputation as an attacking batsman, a good fast-medium bowler and an excellent fielder.〔Mason, p. 7.〕 His father prohibited him from playing competitive club cricket until 1920 for fear of premature exposure to top-class opposition while too young; in addition, he first wanted his son to establish a professional career.〔〔Howat (1976), pp. 33–34.〕 Upon leaving school Constantine joined Jonathan Ryan, a firm of solicitors in Port of Spain, as a clerk. This was a possible route into the legal profession; however, as a member of the black lower-middle class, he was unlikely to progress far. Few black Trinidadians at this time became solicitors, and he faced many social restrictions owing to his colour.〔Howat (1976), pp. 31–32.〕〔Mason, p. 6.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Learie Constantine」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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