Ivy Inez Joshua (née McQueen; 25 December 1924 – 1992) was a Grenadian-born seamstress and politician, who was the first woman elected to serve in the Legislative Council of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines when universal suffrage was granted. Though she won her seat in six consecutive election cycles, with a substantial majority each time she ran, Joshua was often the target of politically-based inquiries and investigations. She served in the legislature from 1958 to 1979 and simultaneously on the Executive Council from 1960 when she was appointed as the Minister of Social Services. Joshua served from 1961 to 1964 and again from 1967 to 1972 as a Minister without portfolio, before being appointed as Parliamentary Secretary and later Leader of the Opposition. Early life Ivy Inez McQueen was born on 25 December 1924 in Grenada to Cecile (née Neckles) McQueen. After receiving a basic education, she moved to Trinidad and Tobago, where she met Ebenezer Joshua. The couple relocated to British Guiana in 1943, where they were married before returning two years later to Trinidad to work as union organizers. Working in the trade union movement founded by Tubal Uriah Butler, the Joshuas were invited to return to Ebenezer's homeland, of Saint Vincent in March 1951 to assist George Hamilton Charles in organizing the laborers of the United Workers, Peasants and Rate Payers Union (UWPRPU). Career Charles and Ebenezer Joshua formed the political arm of the UWPRPU, which they called the Eighth Army of Liberation. Ivy Joshua was one of the key organizers of the movement, mobilizing workers to participate in the first elections after universal suffrage was granted on the island in 1951. In addition, she worked as a seamstress and ran a store, which held a liquor license. After winning the election in a landslide victory, the Eighth Army dissolved over political differences. Joshua was instrumental in assisting Ebenezer with the formation of the Federated Industrial Allied Workers Union (FIAWU), representing agricultural and waterfront workers, in 1952. With the development of the FIAWU, a new political party, People’s Political Party, (PPP) was launched. Joshua walked from village to village with Ebenezer, presenting their plea for labor organization and decolonization. She also led strikes between 1951 and 1957 to gain recognition for the union and to improve the conditions of the workers, primarily in the sugar factories. In 1954, the Joshuas' new party won three of the eight