George Cadle Price

Who is George Cadle Price?

George Cadle Price was a Belizean statesman widely regarded as the "Father of the Nation" and one of the principal architects of Belizean independence. Born in Belize City on 15 January 1919, he entered politics in the mid-twentieth century when the territory was still the British colony of British Honduras. On 29 September 1950 he co-founded the People's United Party (PUP), which he led for four decades in a sustained campaign for self-government and full political and economic independence from Britain. He served as the colony's First Minister and later Premier from 1961, guiding the territory through the renaming to Belize in 1973 and ultimately to full independence on 21 September 1981, becoming the country's first Prime Minister. He was voted out of office in 1984 but returned to serve a second term as Prime Minister from 1989 to 1993. Known for his austere, deeply religious personal life and his lifelong dedication to public service, Price remained a revered symbol of Belizean nationhood until his death in Belmopan on 19 September 2011. He is formally recognized as one of Belize's two National Heroes.

Sources: Wikipedia, "George Cadle Price" · BlackPast.org, "George Cadle Price (1919-2011)" · Belize National Library Service and Information System (BNLSIS), Belizean National Heroes