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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 .