Well-known St. Thomas accountant John A. Babb died Thursday afternoon at the Roy L. Schneider Hospital after being hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit for several weeks.
Babb came to the Virgin Islands from his native Guyana in the early 1970s, working for Hestres and Associates before taking up the newly created position of Senate post auditor, a post he held for several years.
He also served as a key financial adviser to former Sen. Elmo D. Roebuck during his years in the Legislature.
In the early 1980s Babb was on contract with the Farrelly administration, arguing for the return to the territory of the customs duties collected in the Virgin Islands by the federal government. His relationship with Farrelly soured when he appeared before the Senate and assailed the former chief executive for the slow pace at which it proceeded on the issue with the U.S. Customs Service.
Most recently, Babb returned to his private accounting practice before falling ill in the latter part of 1999.
No other details were available Thursday afternoon.