III 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 248 

Honoring the life and achievements of Dame Lois Browne Evans, Bermuda’s 

first female barrister and Attorney General, and the first female Opposition Leader in the British Commonwealth. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 21, 2007 

Mr. BROWN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life and achievements of Dame Lois Browne 

Evans, Bermuda’s first female barrister and Attorney 

General, and the first female Opposition Leader in the 

British Commonwealth. 

Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans was born in 1927 in Bermuda, and attended the Central School and Middle Temple at London’s Inns of Court in the United Kingdom; 

Whereas, in June 1952, at the age of 26, Dame Lois Browne 

Evans was called to the London Bar, and the following 

December called to the Bermuda Bar and opened her 

own practice; 

Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans became Bermuda’s first 

female barrister and went on to a distinguished career as 

a leading counsel; 


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•SRES 248 IS 

Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans was a lifelong advocate 

for the rights of workers and black Bermudians and a 

prominent member of the Progressive Labour Party 

(PLP); 

Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans was elected to Parliament 

in 1963 and became the first black female to serve in 

Parliament; 

Whereas, in 1968, in Bermuda’s first general election in 

which all adults were entitled to vote, Dame Lois Browne 

Evans was elected the PLP’s Parliamentary Leader and 

became the first female Opposition Leader in the British 

Commonwealth; 

Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans held the position of Opposition Leader until 1972 and, in 1973, became Jamaica’s Honorary Counsel in Bermuda, the first Bermudian 

to serve in this capacity; 

Whereas in 1976 Dame Lois Browne Evans was again elected to Parliament and served as the Opposition Leader 

until 1985; 

Whereas the PLP won its first election in 1998 and Dame 

Lois Browne Evans was appointed Minister of Legislative 

Affairs; 

Whereas in 1999 Dame Lois Browne Evans became Bermuda’s first elected Attorney General and first female 

Attorney General; 

Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans was Bermuda’s longest 

serving Member of Parliament; 

Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans debated at the historic 

London and Bermuda Constitutional Conferences and 

served as a delegate to numerous international conVerDate Aug 31 2005 22:15 Jun 22, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR248.IS SR248

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•SRES 248 IS 

ferences in Africa, New Zealand, the United States, and 

the Caribbean; 

Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans was a member of the 

International Federation of Women Lawyers and a 

founding member of the Bermuda Business and Professional Women’s Club; 

Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans led an exceptional life in 

which she played a major role in the racial integration of 

Bermuda and advanced the cause of civil, human, and 

minority rights in Bermuda and throughout the world; 

and 

Whereas Dame Lois Browne Evans passed away on May 29, 

2007, at the age of 79: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) expresses its profound sympathy to the fam3 ily of Dame Lois Browne Evans and the citizens of 

4 Bermuda on the passing of Dame Lois Browne 

5 Evans; and 

6 (2) commends the exemplary lifetime achieve7 ments of Dame Lois Browne Evans, her commit8 ment to public service, and the singular role she 

9 played as a true pioneer who forged the way ahead 

10 for women and minorities. 

Æ 


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