Ralph T. O'Neal

For the WWI ace aviator, see Ralph Ambrose O'Neill

The Honourable Ralph O'Neal OBE
O'Neal (right) being appointed as Premier by Governor David Pearey.
Premier of the British Virgin Islands
In office 23 August 2007 – 9 November 2011
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor	David Pearey Inez Archibald (Acting) William Boyd McCleary
Preceded by	Orlando Smith (Chief Minister)
Succeeded by	Orlando Smith
In office 15 May 1995 – 17 June 2003
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor	Peter Alfred Penfold David Mackilligin Frank Savage Elton Georges (Acting) Tom Macan
Preceded by	Hamilton Lavity Stoutt
Succeeded by	Orlando Smith
Personal details
Born	(1933-12-15) 15 December 1933 Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
Political party	Virgin Islands Party
Alma mater	University of Oxford

Ralph Telford O'Neal, OBE (born 15 December 1933) is a politician who presently serves as leader of the opposition in the British Virgin Islands. He has formerly served as Chief Minister (when the office was so titled) and also as Premier of the British Virgin Islands. He was the first person to be appointed to the newly titled office of Premier by the Governor on 22 August 2007 under the British Virgin Islands constitution adopted in 2007 after leading the Virgin Islands Party to a landslide victory in the 2007 general election two days earlier. He rescinded the position on 7 November 2011 after the Virgin Islands Party lost its majority following the 2011 general elections.

His combined 12 years as head of the elected Government is the second longest in the British Virgin Islands, behind on Lavity Stoutt, a man whom he succeeded when the latter died in office on 14 May 1995. He then served as Chief Minister until the 1999 general election which he won. He would later lose the 2003 general election and would then serve the next four years at leader of the opposition before his victory in the 2007 general election.

He remains the leader of the Virgin Islands Party, and has held a seat in the House of Assembly, formerly the Legislative Council continuously since 1971. He is the longest serving elected politician in the British Virgin Islands, having now served for 42 years in elected office (he broke the previous record held by Lavity Stoutt in 2009).

He was educated at University of Oxford where he studied Economics. He is also property owner and developer in the British Virgin Islands. Apart from his property investments, O'Neal has had a number of other commercial interests during his life before serving in the House of Assembly under the Ralph O'Neal Group of Companies.

References

http://www.bviplatinum.com/news.php?page=Article&articleID=1320879676 http://www.bviplatinum.com/news.php?page=Article&articleID=1320925997

Political offices
Preceded by Hamilton Lavity Stoutt	Chief Minister of the British Virgin Islands 1995–2003	Succeeded by Orlando Smith
Preceded by Orlando Smith as Chief Minister of the British Virgin Islands	Premier of the British Virgin Islands 2007–2011