Patrick Allen (governor-general)

Patrick Linton Allen was born in Fruitful Vale, Portland, on 7 February 1951. He was the fourth of five children to Ferdinand Allen, a farmer, and Christiana Allen (née Grant), a housewife. His parents were subsistence farmers in a region that had been devastated by Hurricane Charlie around the time of his birth. Allen attended the Fruitful Vale All-Age School as a child. Beginning at grade one, Allen was a year ahead in school. Allen had initially intended to study to become a minister, but after his father became too ill to work, he instead went into teaching. == Adventist leader ==

Allen first requested to be baptised when he was nine, but his family was initially resistant to the idea. On 15 September 1962, at age eleven, Allen was baptised by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Allen returned to Jamaica to serve as a pastor, and was given increasing leadership responsibilities within the broader Seventh-day Adventist Church. Allen was appointed as the Director of Education and Communications within the Central Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, one of five regional conferences within Jamaica. He later served as the Director of Education and Family Life for the West Indies Union of Seventh-day Adventists, which at the time had jurisdiction over Jamaica, The Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. In his acceptance speech, Allen opined that church outreach should address the problems facing the community, including the HIV/AIDS epidemic, domestic abuse, teenage pregnancy, unemployment, and violent crime. During this time, Allen also served as the chairman of the boards of Northern Caribbean University and Andrews Memorial Hospital. == Governor-General ==

In July 2008, the then Governor-General of Jamaica Kenneth O. Hall, indicated that he wished to step down due to declining health. He was persuaded to remain in the post for an additional half-year. On 28 January 2009, Allen resigned from his presidency of the West Indies Union. He also resigned as chairman of the board of Northern Caribbean University, and other religious organisations in 2009. Although Seventh-day Adventism is Jamaica's largest religion, Allen was the first Adventist governor-general in Jamaica and the second in the region, after James Carlisle, a former governor-general of Antigua and Barbuda. There is a long history of appointing former educators to the position, with governors-general Campbell, Glasspole, Cooke, and Hall all also having backgrounds as educators. == Honours ==

In 2006, Allen was appointed a Commander of the Jamaican Order of Distinction (CD). On 2 September 2013, Allen became a Knight of Grace of the Venerable Order of Saint John (KStJ). ==Awards==

Allen has received an Honorary Doctor of Public Service from Northern Caribbean University and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Andrews University as well Oakwood University. All three institutions are associated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. == Notes ==