Sybil I. McLaughlin

Sybil Ione McLaughlin MBE (24 August 1928 – 10 May 2022) was a Caymanian politician who became the first Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Cayman Islands. She was declared a National Hero in 1996.

McLaughlin was born in Mobile, Alabama in 1928.

In 1945 she started working for the Government of the Cayman Islands and when they received a constitution she was made the clerk. During her career her expertise was used at other parliaments. She worked at the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, Stormont House and in the offices of the governments of Grenada and that of Trinidad and Tobago.[1]

In February 1991 she became the first Speaker of the Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly.[2]

In 1996 she retired from being Speaker and she was made a National Hero of the Cayman Islands. This is the Cayman Islands' highest honour and it was awarded because of her contribution to parliament and to the community in general.[3] She was one of the founding members of the Business and Professional Women’s Club and the Rotary Sunrise Club.

On 10 May 2022 she passed away at her home in South Sound.[4] McLaughlin lay in state in the House of Parliament in the Cayman Islands on 19 May and her funeral was attended the following day.[5]