Bermuda’s longest-serving Premier, Sir John Swan, has passed away at the age of 90
Sir John Swan, Bermuda’s longest-serving and arguably most famous Premier, has died aged 90, a month away from his 91st birthday.
Bermuda Broadcasting has been told that he passed on Thursday afternoon, surrounded by family and friends.
Sir John, as he was often called, led the United Bermuda Party and served as Premier from 1982 until 1995, and his tenure is associated with a period of significant expansion in Bermuda’s financial services sector.
The 1986 US–Bermuda Tax Convention, signed in 1986 and entered into force in 1988, is seen as the foundation of Bermuda’s subsequent success as a global insurance and reinsurance centre.
A successful businessman and property owner, his 10-storey office complex at 141 Front Street is a City of Hamilton landmark.
He was recognised as a National Hero in 2016, and until today had been Bemruda’s only living National Hero.
Sir John had a political renaissance in May 2024, coming second to the OBA’s Robert King in the Smith’s North by-election.
He went on to spearhead a movement of independent candidates who ran in the February 2025 General Election. Ultimately, none of the independents, including Sir John, managed to claim a seat. Some of those candidates went on to form The People’s Independent Coalition (PIC).
In Bermuda Broadcasting’s final interview with Sir John Swan in May 2025, he was reflecting on the passing of U.S. Congressman Charles Rangel, who he says helped him in the 1980s as he advocated for the tax treaty that underpinned the growth of international business in Bermuda.
Speaking on the success of that treaty, he said “thus you see Bermuda as you see it today – a country that is probably one of the most successful countries in the world.”
“We went from being great competitors in the tourist business. Now we’re great competitors in the international business.”
Bermuda Broadcasting offers its sincere condolences to the family of Sir John Swan.
