Mr. Arthur, who was born in Barbados on October 17, 1949, at age 44 became one of the youngest Barbadian politicians elected to that office.
He successfully led the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) to victory in the General Elections held on September 6, 1994, when it won 19 of the 28 seats in the House of Assembly.
He again led the BLP to a landslide victory on January 20, 1999, winning 26 of the 28 seats.
The Prime Minister's political career began when he was appointed a member of the Barbados Senate in 1983. He became a Member of Parliament in 1984 and was appointed Leader of the Opposition in 1993. He remains Chairman of the Barbados Labour Party.
The Prime Minister was educated at All Saints' Boys' School, Coleridge and Parry School on a Government Scholarship, Harrison College and the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill and Mona Campuses, the latter on a U.W.I. postgraduate scholarship.
The holder of a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree (upper second class honours) in Economics and History, and a Master of Science degree in Economics, Mr. Arthur began his working career in Jamaica, as a Research Assistant in the Department of Management of the Mona Campus, U.W.I.
In 1974 he took up the post of Assistant Economic Planner at the National Planning Agency in Jamaica. Within five years he attained the top post of Chief Economic Planner.
Mr. Arthur's next appointment was that of Director of Economics, from 1979 to 1981, at the Jamaica Bauxite Institute.
As Director, his responsibilities included the management of the Division of Economics and Financial Affairs which monitored production of bauxite in Jamaica, the payment of levies and taxes by bauxite companies and all other aspects of the economic performance and affairs of the Jamaican bauxite industry.
He represented Jamaica on UNCTAD's Inter-Governmental Group of Exports on the Transfer of Technology in 1975 and 1976, was a member of the OAS Task Force on Technology Transfer in the Caribbean and a member of the Caribbean Technology Policy Studies Project between 1977 and 1978. In addition, Mr. Arthur also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Jamaica's Scientific Research Council.
In 1981, the Prime Minister returned to Barbados and took up the post of Chief Project Analyst in the Ministry of Finance and Planning, where he assisted with the preparation and review of pre-feasibility and feasibility studies in relation to Barbados' public investment programme.
He also coordinated the preparation of Barbados' 1983—88 Development Plan and participated in the negotiation of Barbados' 1982 programme with the International Monetary Fund.
Mr. Arthur joined the Institute of Social and Economic Research, Cave Hill Campus, U.W.I. in 1983 and undertook research for publication into the balance of payments stabilisation policies in Barbados. He also reviewed and edited articles submitted to the Institute for publication.
He returned to the Ministry of Finance and Planning as a Parliamentary Secretary in 1985 for one year, before joining the Department of Management, U.W.I. as a part-time lecturer.
He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Barbados Industrial Development Corporation; a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Barbados, and Chairman of the Barbados Agricultural Development Corporation.
The Prime Minister also has wide experience as a consultant. He was consultant to the Organisation of American States (OAS) in 1975; to the Ministry of Housing and Lands, Barbados, from 1983 to 1984 and to Caricom, 1992.
His publications include "The Commercialisation of Technology in Jamaica", 1979; "Energy and Mineral Resource Development in the Jamaica Bauxite Industry" 1981; and "The IMF and Economic Stabilisation Policies in Barbados" 1984.
He has been a member of the Barbados Economic Society and is an active member of the Barbados External Communications (BET) Sports Club.
His hobbies include gardening and cooking.
Mr. Arthur is married to the former Julie Price.