George Cadle Price

George Cadle Price, PC, OCC (15 January 1919 - 19 September 2011), was a Belizean politician and statesman. He served twice as the head of government and Prime Minister of Belize from 7 April 1961- 17 December 1984 and 7 September 1989- 3 July 1993. He served as First Minister of British Honduras from 7 April 1961 to 1 January 1964, then he served as Premier of British Honduras from 1 January 1964 to 1 June 1973, then he served as Premier of Belize from 1 June 1973 to 12 September 1981 under British and United Kingdom rule until independence on 12 September 1981 and was the nation's and country's first Prime minister after and upon independence that year. He is considered to have been one of the Principal architects of Belizean independence. Today he has been called and referred to by many as "the Father of the Belizean Nation". Price effectively dominated Belizean Politics from 7 April 1961 in the early 1969a until his retirement from party leadership as Leader of the People's United Party on 10 November 1996, serving as the nation's and country's Head of government under various titles for most or during that period.
He entered Belizean Politics in 1947 when Belize was still called British Honduras. He was elected as the Deputy Chairman of the then Independent Party the same year in 1947 before the 1947 British Honduras general election. He won the nominations as an Independent Representative for Belize City unopposed, 5 months before the 1947 British Honduras general election and stood as an Independent Candidate for Belize City Constituency In the 1947 British Honduras general election and won his seat of Belize City constituency. His then Party, the Independent Party which was then led by John Smith was the only Party that contested in the 1947 British Honduras general election and won all the then, nine seats British Honduras Legislative Assembly unopposed in the 1947 British Honduras general election. After the 1947 British Honduras general election, Price was appointed as Chairman of the Belize City Council by the then Leader of The Independent Party, John Smith. Price served faithfully as Chairman of the Belize City Council and as a Member of Parliament and the Legislative Assembly of Belize, he hired workers to build houses and roads in Belize City as the then, British Honduras was not developed yet and Price seemed that something was missing in Belize City. In 1949, Price was appointed as Attorney General and Minister of Economic Development by Leader, John Smith. In that same year of 1948, with the devaluation of the British Honduras dollar he, together with a group of citizens and nine of his political colleagues and friends such as then Leader of the Independence Party, John Smith, then Deputy First Minister Leigh Richardson, Herbert Fuller and Herman Jex, firmed the People's Committee (PC) The People's Committee (PC) marked and was the start of the "peaceful, constructive Belizean revolution. On 29 September 1950, he renamed and founded the People's United Party from the Independent Party together with his political friends and colleagues John Smith and Leigh Richardson, which he led for four decades and 40 years and which he devoted to the political and economic independence of the British Colony, then known as the British Honduras.
Early life and education
George Cadle Price was born in Belize City on 15 January 1919 in what was then part of the British Honduras, to his Father, William Price, and his Mother, Irene Escalante Price (nee Escalante) which was her maiden name. They had eleven children in total including Price. Price had eight sisters and two brothers.
Price received his early and Primary education at Holy Redeemer Primary School In Belize City which he attended from 1926 to 1931 when he was 7 years old in 1926 to 12 years old in 1931. He graduated from Holy Redeemer Primary School and was awarded the "Most Contributive Student" and "Most Outstanding In English in the entire Primary 6 level on Recognition Day which was held on 5 November 1930. In 1931. a year later after he graduated from his Primary school of Holy Redeemer Primary School. He received his Secondary education at St. John's College High School In 1931 and studied there from Secondary one all the way to Secondary four B. In 1931, the same year he first attended St. John's College High School, he survived the hurricane of 1931 which destroyed St. John's College High School at Loyola Park, Swimming away from the wreckage. Under the Jesuits he was exposed to the teachings of Catholic Social justice, in particular the encyclical Rerum novarum. He graduated from St. Johns College High School on 5 November 1935. Upon graduation from St. John's College High School on 5 November 1935, the young price felt a call to priesthood, so he went to pursue his studies abroad on the advice of his parents and family. He was eligible to pursue a education at a Junior college as he did exceptionally well during his O-levels in St Johns College High School but did not attend any Junior college in the British Honduras as his parents thought then that there was no proper education in the British Honduras and that the education system in British Honduras then was weak they wanted Price to learn more about the education system globally across the world and global. So they urged him to pursue his education abroad instead of at home, in the British Honduras. So Price tailed that move. In 1936 at the age of 16 years old, A year after he graduated from St. John's College High School which is the following year Price traveled to the Mississippi located in the United States and attended a Junior college there known as Saint Augustine's Minor Seminary In Mississippi, United States and studied there until 1940. When he was studying at Saint Augustine's Minor Seminary, his family would often travel from British Honduras to Mississippi in the United States where that Junior college was located so see Price and check on him and how he was going along with his education in Saint Augustine's Minor Seminary. In the early 1940s, Saint Augustine's Minor Seminary was not extremely popular for the people of British Honduras to study there as few people the British Honduras knew about that Junior college. Price's family would sometimes stay with him for a few days in Mississippi, United States before departing back to their own Country of British Honduras.
References
1919 births
2011 deaths
Prime Ministers of Belize