A Life of Service: Tributes flow for Professor Dr Oswald Harding

Professor Dr Oswald Harding is being hailed as a great Jamaican who leaves behind a legacy of dedicated service to his country.

Harding, the longest-serving senator in Jamaica’s history and the first person to serve two non-consecutive terms as President of the Senate, passed away on Wednesday.

He was 90 years old.

He was also a distinguished academic, former Attorney General and Minister of Justice.

Harding, who was affectionately called “Ossie,” was a long-serving member of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

Deputy JLP Leader Desmond McKenzie said Harding was deeply committed to nation-building and genuinely believed in giving priority to initiatives that were in Jamaica’s best interest.

“Ossie’s public service, given over many decades, no doubt required tremendous sacrifice. The Jamaica Labour Party is grateful to him and also appreciative of his family for allowing him the time to serve his party and country with distinction. We express our deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. The Honourable Oswald Harding was, no doubt, a great Jamaican.”

He noted that Harding was a founding member of the party’s influential Area Council One, a former deputy chairman and, at the time of his passing, a trustee of the party.

“We hail his contribution as being impactful, significant and worthy of emulation,” McKenzie said.

Meanwhile, Senate President Tom Tavares-Finson said he served as Deputy President of the Senate when Harding was president from 2007 to 2011.

He lauded Harding’s contributions to the development of democratic processes in the Senate and his commitment to the rule of law, which he said will long be remembered.

“The Jamaica Labour Party Caucus, and I'm sure I can speak for all members of the Senate, certainly send their condolences to his family and wish them God's strength during this difficult time. He, of course, was also Deputy Chairman of the Jamaica Labour Party, and his contribution to the party will no doubt be spoken of elsewhere. May his soul rest in peace.”

Meanwhile, House Speaker and Member of Parliament for St Andrew East Rural, Juliet Holness, said Harding, who served as JLP caretaker for the constituency, earned the respect of many through his dedication to its people.

“His passing marks the loss of a remarkable Jamaican whose legacy will continue to live on through the institutions he helped strengthen, the students and colleagues he mentored, and the countless lives he touched throughout his lifetime of service,” she said in a post on social media platform X.

Founder and Executive Chairman of the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons, Jean Lowrie-Chin, also praised Harding in a post on X for serving Jamaica with all his heart.

A Kingston native, Harding grew up on Oxford Street in West Kingston and attended Kingston College.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University and studied at the University of London before becoming a lawyer.

After leaving politics, he earned a PhD in Philosophy from the University of the West Indies, Mona.

Following his retirement from the Senate in 2011, Harding served as Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Technology, Jamaica, where he helped to establish the faculty.

He published his autobiography, Grandson of Essie: The Oswald Harding Story, in 2018.

Harding was a patron of the arts and a dedicated art collector, but above all else, he was a devoted husband and father.

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