Place of birth: Nassau, The Bahamas
Year of matriculation at St Catharine’s (Catz): 1947
Subject: Law
Catz connection:
- His father is alumnus A.F. Adderley (1912. Law), the College’s earliest Black student on record.
- He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in law in 1950 and an LL.B. degree in 1951.
- He played cricket (claiming a sizeable number of wickets when bowling for the College club), soccer and tennis
- The Adderley Prize was first given by the College in 1950 following a gift from Paul and his father. It is still given to this day to recognise law students for outstanding performance in a University Tripos exam.
- One of his three daughters, Paula Adderley (1993, Law), also graduated from St Catharine’s.
Life before Catz:
He was educated at the late Mrs. Maude Wright's Primary School and at the Government High School in The Bahamas.
Life after Catz:
He attended the Inns of Court Law Schools at the Middle Temple and was called to the English Bar and The Bahamas Bar in 1953. He was elected to the House of Assembly in The Bahamas’ Parliament as representative for the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) in 1961, then for the National Democratic Party (NDP) political party that he himself founded in 1965, before returning to the PLP in 1972.
After an initial government appointment as Minister of External Affairs from March 1973, he was next appointed as the first Attorney-General of The Bahamas on 10 July 1973, when the country gained independence. Over the next two decades, he would serve his country in several other senior roles: Government Leader in the Senate, Minister of Education, Minister of National Security and Minister of Finance, alongside his duties as Attorney-General (serving longer than anyone since in this role). He returned to private practice in 1992 but also served as Acting Governor-General from 1 December 2005 until 31 January 2006.
He was associated with a number of public, civic and professional organisations. He was a member of the board of governors of St John's College and Government High School, and a member of the Telecommunications Board. He was a secretary and vice-president of the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association.
He received a Full State Funeral on his death in 2012. The building housing The Bahamas’ Office of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Legal Affairs was named in his honour.
