1919- . Dominican politician, prime minister
from 1980; cofounder and first leader of the
centrist Dominica Freedom Party (DFP).
Charles qualified as a barrister in England
and returned to practise in the Windward and
Leeward Islands in the West Indies. Two years
after Dominica's independence the DFP won the
1980 general election and she became the
Caribbean's first female prime minister.