File photo of a young Horace Barber, former governor of the Bank of Jamaica, who has died just days short of his 85th birthday.

Horace Barber, a former Governor of the Bank of Jamaica (BoJ), has died just days short of his 85th birthday.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding said yesterday he was saddened by the death of Mr. Barber, who he said "dedicated a signification portion of his working life to the public sector, including as governor of the Bank of Jamaica and financial secretary in the Ministry of Finance".

Mr. Barber, who was born on October 15, 1922, held the post of Governor from January 1983 until October 1985.

Prior to that appointment, he headed the civil service when he was appointed financial secretary in 1973. He served in that capacity until 1982 when he became governor.

While he was financial secretary, Mr. Barber served as chairman of the Capital Development Fund; Jamaica International Telecommunications Ltd. (JAMINTEL) and the Commonwealth Telecommunications Council. He was also a member of the boards of Bank of Jamaica Air Jamaica; National Development Bank and The Jamaica Pegasus hotel. When he became governor, he served as chairman of the board of the BoJ.

Led during difficult times

"He led the Bank of Jamaica at a difficult time in the country's history, when we faced a number of challenges occasioned by activities occurring in the international arena; situations over which we had no control based on the size and openness of our economy," Mr. Golding said. "As a shrewd financial technocrat, he provided sound advice, which enabled the Government to steer the country into the right direction, in spite of the many ferocious winds associated with the economic climate at the time, and which threatened to blow us off course."

The Prime Minister extended condolences to Mr. Barber's family and friends, who he said "can take comfort in the fact that he lived his life to the fullest and did not hesitate to give freely of his time and effort toward the betterment of his country".