George Cadle Price
Leader of Belize (1961–1984, 1989–1993)
Who was George Cadle Price?
George Cadle Price (15 January 1919 – 19 September 2011) was a Belizean statesman who served as the head of government of Belize from 1961 to 1984 and 1989 to 1993. Today he is referred to by many as the "Father of the Nation". He is considered one of the principal architects of Belizean independence. Price effectively dominated Belizean politics from the early 1960s until his 1996 retirement from party leadership, having been the nation's head of government under various titles for most of that period. He entered politics in 1947 with his election to the Belize City Council. In 1949, with the devaluation of the British Honduran dollar he, together with a group of citizens, formed the People's Committee. It was the start of the "peaceful, constructive Belizean revolution".
On 29 September 1950, he co-founded the People's United Party, which he led for four decades and which was devoted to the political and economic independence of the British colony, then known as British Honduras.
Historical significance
He was the first minister and premier under British rule until independence in 1981 and was the nation's first prime minister after independence that year.