The PNP was founded in 1938 by
Norman Washington Manley, and is the second-oldest political party in
Jamaica (the People's Political Party was formed earlier, on 9 September 1929, by Marcus Garvey). It is now one of the country's main two political parties, and is considered more to the
left than its main rival the
Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). The party held a majority of seats in the parliament of the
Colony of Jamaica from 1955–1962. Following independence in 1962, it held the majority of seats in the
Jamaican Parliament from 1972–1980, from 1989–2007, and from 2011–2016. The PNP was defeated at the first
universal election held in Jamaica in 1944, winning only four of the 32 seats (one elected independent joined the party afterwards). The
1949 Jamaican general election was much closer. The PNP received more votes (203,048) than the JLP (199,538), but the JLP secured more seats; 17 to the PNP's 13. Two seats were won by independents. The voter turnout was 65.2%. In 1954, the PNP expelled
Richard Hart, a
Marxist, and three other PNP members for their (alleged) Communist views. The other three members were: Ken Hill, Frank Hill, and Arthur Henry, and they were collectively referred to as "the four Hs". Under "the four Hs", the unions they were in charge of had the largest following of any union outside of the
Bustamante Industrial Trade Union. Hart and the other members of "the four Hs" were very active in the trade union movement in Jamaica. In the 1940s and 1950s. Hart worked as a member of the Executive Committee of the
Trade Union Council from 1946–1948. He served as Assistant Secretary of the
Caribbean Labour Congress from 1945–1946 and Assistant Secretary from 1947–1953. The PNP came to power in 1955, and held power until just before Jamaican independence in 1962. At the
1955 Jamaican general election, the PNP won for the first time, securing 18 out of 32 seats. The JLP ended up with 14 seats, and there were no independents. The voter turnout with 65.1%. As a result, Norman Manley became the new chief minister. The
1959 Jamaican general election was held on 28 July 1959, and the number of seats was increased to 45. The PNP secured a wider margin of victory, taking 29 seats to the JLP's 16. Manley was appointed Jamaica's first premier on 14 August 1959. During this period of government, it promoted actively reformist social democratic policies, including opening secondary education to many poorer Jamaicans through state funding of scholarships. At the
1961 Federation membership referendum, Jamaica voted 54% to leave the West Indies Federation. After losing the referendum, Manley took Jamaica to the polls in April 1962, to secure a mandate for the island's independence. On 10 April 1962, of the 45 seats up for contention in the
1962 Jamaican general election, the JLP won 26 seats and the PNP 19. The voter turnout was 72.9%. This resulted in the
independence of Jamaica on 6 August 1962, and several other British colonies in the West Indies followed suit over the next decade. Bustamante had replaced Manley as premier between April and August, and upon independence, he became Jamaica's first Prime Minister. ==Independent Jamaica==