Isaiah Emmanuel Morter
Isaiah Emmanuel Morter (sometimes spelled Isiah) (1860 – 7 April 1924) was born in 1860 in the Freetown district of
By planting and growing bananas and coconuts, Morter built a fortune and is widely regarded as Belize's first millionaire of color. His nicknames included "the Coconut King" and "Guinea Sigar"[3] and he owned Caye Chapel[4] and other plantations. For his achievements he was honoured with the award of Knight Commander of Distinguished Service Order of Ethiopia.[5] He was also a strong supporter of Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association.[5]
Morter died on 7 April 1924.
A statue of Morter can be found at the end of Albert Street, near St. John's Cathedral , in Belize City. He is not widely known today by the public in Belize.[6]
References
- ^ Peter David Ashdown, Garveyism in Belize, 1990, p. 22.
- ^ Garvey, Marcus, "A tribute to the late Sir Isaiah Morter", Philosophy and opinions of March Garvey, vol. 2, Amy Jacques Garvey, 1977, p. 90.
- Robert A. Hill, John Dixon, Mariela Haro Rodriguez, Anthony Yuen, 2011, p. 639.
- ^ vicky (2013-08-30). "Ashcroft sells Caye Chapel for US$30 mil | Amandala Newspaper". Amandala.com.bz. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
- ^ a b "Sie-Isaiah-Emmanuel-Morter". Belizemusicworld.com. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
- ^ "Few Remember Old Isiah Morter". 7 News Belize. 2010-07-12. Retrieved 2014-07-11.