Nassau, The Bahamas – Government House announced on Wednesday, June 2 that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has conferred upon His Excellency Sir Arthur Foulkes, the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, the award of Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, (GCMG).  

The conferment is in recognition of Sir Arthur’s appointment as Governor-General of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, according to a release from Government House.  

The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is the highest of three classes with Knight Commander (KCMG) or Dame Commander (DCMG) being the second highest and Companion (CMG) third.  

The Order is named in honour of two military saints, St. Michael and St. George and was founded on April 28, 1818 by George Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom.  

The GCMG recognises individuals who have rendered important services in relation to foreign or Commonwealth affairs. People are recognised by appointment to the Order rather than award of it.  

Sir Arthur was elected to Parliament in 1967 and the following year appointed to serve in the Cabinet as Minister of Communications then as Minister of Tourism. 

He was one of the founders of the Free National Movement in 1971, the now governing party of The Bahamas.  

He was appointed to the Senate in 1972 and 1977, and re-elected to the House of Assembly in 1982.   

Sir Arthur was one of the four Opposition delegates to The Bahamas Independence Constitution Conference in London in 1972. 

When the FNM was elected the governing party, Sir Arthur entered the diplomatic service of The Bahamas as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (resident in London) and Ambassador to France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and the European Union.   

He represented The Bahamas to the Commonwealth in London, and the African Caribbean Pacific Group in Brussels, was Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organisation and also Doyen of the Caribbean diplomatic corps in the United Kingdom.  He founded Friends of The Bahamas, a London-based association.    

In 1999 Sir Arthur was appointed the first Bahamas Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China and Ambassador to the Republic of Cuba.  He is a founding member of the China-Bahamas Friendship Association. 

In recognition of his service to the country, in 2001 he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, by Queen Elizabeth II. 

From 2007 until 2010 he served as Director General of Bahamas Information Services, the Government’s information and news agency, and was designated to act as Deputy to the Governor General on every occasion His Excellency was absent from The Bahamas. 

Sir Arthur Foulkes was sworn in as the eighth Governor-General on May 14, 2010.