Keble Munn

The Honourable Keble Aubrey Munn OJ (15 February 1920 - 14 April 2008) ^[1] was a Jamaican politician and agriculturalist.

Biography

Munn received his education at Wolmer's Schools.^[2] After graduation, he traveled to Canada, where he enlisted in that country's army in order to serve in World War II.^[3] During his wartime service, which lasted more than four years,^[1] Munn was stationed in Belgium, England, and France.^[2]

After the war, he returned to Jamaica, and in 1956 he began his political career as a Councillor in the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation.^[2] The next year, he received an appointment as Deputy Mayor of Kingston,^[2] and in 1959, while with the People's National Party, he was elected as a Member of Parliament representing the East Rural St. Andrew seat.^[1] He held that seat until 1967, when he was elected to represent South East St. Andrew,^[1] and then held that seat in turn until 1976, when he was elected as the representative for Eastern St. Andrew.^[1] This last seat Munn held until his retirement from politics in 1980.^[1]

Munn also held several cabinet-level positions during his political career. He was Jamaica's Minister of Agriculture and Minister of National Security from 1959–1962, and again from 1972–1980.^[1] His second term as Minister of National Security included the country's 1976 State of Emergency.^[2]

Munn was also notable as an agriculturalist. His family had begun growing coffee in 1885, and during his lifetime he worked diligently to restore the reputation of

Mavis Bank, Jamaica^[1] where he helped pioneer the use of chicken manure as an organic fertilizer for coffee within Jamaica.^[2] He became the first to directly export the Blue Mountain bean to the Japanese market in 1953,^[1] and in 1973, he helped pass the Coffee Industry Regulation Act, which defined the regions which were exclusively able to use the Blue Mountain mark when selling their coffee.^[3]

Munn also served as chairman of the Coffee Industry Board and the Agriculture Credit Board, and was a life member of the Jamaica Agricultural Society.

In 2007, Munn was honored with the Order of Jamaica, in recognition of his political and agricultural accomplishments.^[1] Six months later, he suffered a stroke, and then died of related complications at the University Hospital of the West Indies.^[1]

Munn had four children:^[1] daughter Gwyneth from his marriage to Lillian Bell (deceased) and son Keble Gordon and daughters Leiza and Jodi from his second wife Yvonne Murray.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l "Keble Munn dies...Six months after receiving National Honour", The Jamaica Gleaner, April 15, 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Keble Munn is dead Archived January 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine", Caribbean Voice, April 15, 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c Schoenholt, Donald N. "Keble Munn: the Blue Mountain Coffee man died, April 2008, age 88.", Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, September 2008.

[munn_dies-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l "Keble Munn dies...Six months after receiving National Honour", The Jamaica Gleaner, April 15, 2008.

[caribbean_voice-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Keble Munn is dead Archived January 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine", Caribbean Voice, April 15, 2008.

[schoenholt-3] Schoenholt, Donald N. "Keble Munn: the Blue Mountain Coffee man died, April 2008, age 88.", Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, September 2008.

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