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He attended the RC Boys School and the St. Mary’ s Academy in his earlier years.
One of his teachers at St. Mary ' s was the late Sir Derek Walcott – Nobel laureate for literature.
Like many islanders, including Sir Dunstan St. Omer, Sir John worked in the oil refineries in Curacao.
From Curacao, he attended the University College of Wales; the London School of Economics where he studied economics and political science. He then studied law at Gray ' s Inn and was called to the bar in 1951.
Upon completion of his studies, Sir John returned to St. Lucia and started his political career. He first ran as an Independent for the Micoud / Dennery seat and won.
In 1968, Sir John married Janice Clarke( now Lady Janice Compton), daughter of St. Lucia ' s Governor General at the time, Sir Frederick Clarke. The couple had five children – one son and four daughters.