Descended from Lebanese and Scottish families who settled in Jamaica, Edward Seaga was born in the United States but was taken to Jamaica when he was just three months old. He graduated with a degree in Social Sciences from Harvard University in 1952. As part of the generation of public figures who fought for Jamaica’s independence, Seaga entered politics with an appointment to the Legislative Council in the 1959 election. He began his career as a left-wing activist but gradually shifted to the right.

During the 1960s and 1970s, he served as Minister of Development and Welfare under the government of Alexander Bustamante and later as Minister of Finance in Hugh Shearer’s administration. Seaga became the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in 1974. During this period, he was linked to inciting radical right-wing movements against the government of Prime Minister Michael Manley.

His party was accused of being involved in the assassination attempt on Bob Marley, who supported Manley. During the violent 1980 election campaign, Seaga declared that he would align Jamaica with the United States, break ties with Cuba, and lift restrictions on foreign companies exploiting Jamaica’s bauxite, particularly American ones. He even claimed that Jamaica might need a “military solution,” a statement criticized by Parliament in 1979. Nevertheless, due to rising crime, the JLP won the election.

As Prime Minister, Seaga supported the 1983 U.S. invasion of Grenada and called early elections that same year, a move contested by Manley. Economic problems, accusations of administrative incompetence, and Manley’s rising popularity led to Seaga’s defeat in the 1989 elections. He faced further losses in 1993 and 1997 to Manley’s successor, Percival Patterson. Seaga remained leader of the opposition from 1989 to 2005 and formally stepped down as leader of the JLP in January 2005.