Edward Philip George Seaga ( or ; 28 May 1930 – 28 May 2019) was a Jamaican politician. He was the fifth Prime Minister of

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

, from 1980 to 1989, and the leader of the

Jamaica Labour Party The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is one of the two major political parties in Jamaica, the other being the People's National Party (PNP). While its name might suggest that it is a social democratic party (as is the case for "Labour" parties in sev ...

from 1974 to 2005.Profile: Edward Seaga
, BBC; retrieved 8 April 2012. He served as leader of the opposition from 1974 to 1980, and again from 1989 until January 2005. His retirement from political life marked the end of Jamaica's founding generation in active politics. He was the last serving politician to have entered public life before independence in 1962, as he was appointed to the Legislative Council (now the Senate) in 1959. Seaga is credited with having built the financial and planning infrastructure of the country after independence, as well as having developed its arts and crafts, and awareness of national heritage. As a record producer and record company owner of

West Indies Records Limited West Indies Records Limited (WIRL) was a recording studio in Kingston, Jamaica established by future Prime Minister Edward Seaga in 1958. Seaga recruited and recorded many artists such as Higgs and Wilson, and Byron Lee and the Dragonaires. As Seaga ...

, Seaga also played a major role in the development of the Jamaican music industry. Seaga died on 28 May 2019, on his eighty-ninth birthday.

Early life

Edward Philip George Seaga was born on 28 May 1930, in Boston, Massachusetts,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

to Philip George Seaga, who was of Lebanese Jamaican descent, and Erna (née Maxwell), who was Jamaican of African, Scottish and

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

descent. Erna was the daughter of Elizabeth Campbell (maiden name), daughter of John Zungaroo Campbell. Phillip Seaga had moved to the US seeking to take advantage of the prosperity of the

Roaring Twenties The Roaring Twenties, sometimes stylized as Roaring '20s, refers to the 1920s decade in music and fashion, as it happened in Western society and Western culture. It was a period of economic prosperity with a distinctive cultural edge in th ...

, but the

Wall Street Crash of 1929 The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange coll ...

scotched those dreams. Three months after Edward's birth in Boston, the Seagas returned to Jamaica. He was baptised in Kingston's Anglican Parish Church on 5 December 1930. The young Seaga was educated at Wolmer's Boys', one of the

Wolmer's Schools Wolmer's Schools in Kingston, Jamaica, consist of Wolmer's Pre-School, Wolmer's Preparatory School and two high schools: Wolmer's Trust High School For Girls and Wolmer's Trust High School for Boys. While acknowledged as separate institutions, ea ...

in Jamaica. He went to the United States for higher education, graduating from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

in 1952 with a Bachelor of Arts (Harvard AB) degree in the Social Sciences. Before embarking on his political career, Seaga was a music producer and promoter. He subsequently took a research post at the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the ...

Music industry career

Seaga's research led to an interest in popular Jamaican music. In 1955, he supervised the recording of an album of ethnic Jamaican music.Eder, Bruce
Edward Seaga Biography
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

, retrieved 8 April 2012. He continued to produce recordings by other artists and in the late 1950s set up West Indies Records Limited, releasing early recordings by artists such as

Higgs and Wilson Higgs and Wilson were a Jamaican singing duo, consisting of Joe Higgs and Roy Wilson. Higgs And Wilson, who came from Kingston's Trenchtown area, were one of Jamaica's first indigenous recording artists, and their debut single, "Oh Manny Oh"—p ...

and

Byron Lee & the Dragonaires Byron Lee and the Dragonaires (known as Byron Lee's Dragonaires after Lee's death and now The Dragonaires) are a Jamaican ska, calypso and soca band. The band played a crucial pioneering role in bringing Caribbean music to the world. Byron ...

. Beginning in 1961, Seaga lived in West Kingston. He became deeply involved in its music scene and recorded some of its artists. West Indies Records Limited became the most successful record company in the West Indies. After being elected in 1962 as a Member of Parliament, representing the

, he sold the company to

Byron Lee Byron Lee ,
''Jamaica Gleaner'', 27 October 2008. born Byron Aloysius St. Elmo Lee ...

. It was renamed Dynamic Sounds. Over 16 years, Seaga worked on compiling a collection of Jamaican music covering the period from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s. This anthology, '' Reggae Golden Jubilee Origins of Jamaican Music'', was released on 6 November 2012 in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Jamaican independence.VP Records to launch Seaga's 'Origins of Jamaican Music'
, ''

Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an ...

'', 25 September 2012; retrieved 29 September 2012

Early political career

Seaga's political career began in 1959 when

Alexander Bustamante Sir William Alexander Clarke Bustamante (born William Alexander Clarke; 24 February 1884 – 6 August 1977) was a Jamaican politician and labour leader, who, in 1962, became the first prime minister of Jamaica. Early life and education He wa ...

, founder of the JLP, nominated him to serve in the

Upper House An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...

of the

Jamaican Parliament The Parliament of Jamaica is the legislative branch of the government of Jamaica. It consists of three elements: The Crown (represented by the Governor-General), the appointed Senate and the directly elected House of Representatives. The Se ...

, the Legislative Council (later the Senate). His appointment at the age of 29 made him the youngest member ever appointed to the Legislative Council. While he was in the Senate, Seaga made his well-reported speech about the "haves" and the "have nots". As one of the founding fathers in the framing of the

Jamaican Constitution The Constitution of Jamaica is the constitution and highest law of Jamaica.Constitution of Jamaica, chapter 1, article 2 History As a constituent province of the West Indies Federation, Jamaica became independent of the United Kingdom on 6 Augus ...

in 1961, Seaga spearheaded far-reaching constitutional reforms. He initiated a re-write of the

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

section of the Constitution, to provide for a Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms; creation of the post of

Public Defender A public defender is a lawyer appointed to represent people who otherwise cannot reasonably afford to hire a lawyer to defend themselves in a trial. Several countries provide people with public defenders, including the UK, Hungary and Singapore, ...

; and curtailment of some of the powers of the Prime Minister to provide a better balance of power between the executive and the parliament in the Jamaican system of governance. In April 1962, Seaga was elected Member of Parliament for West Kingston, the waterfront area in the capital city. Historically, it has been the oldest settlement in Kingston for poor, working-class residents, many of whom are unemployed. Employment is largely petty trading with some semi-skilled craftsmen. He held that seat for 43 consecutive years, until he retired, making him the longest-serving Member of Parliament in the history of Jamaica and the

Caribbean region The Caribbean region of Colombia or Caribbean coast region is in the north of Colombia and is mainly composed of 8 departments located contiguous to the Caribbean. He is the only person to have been elected as Member of Parliament for West Kingston for more than one term, and won 10 consecutive terms. Immediately after winning his seat in 1962, Seaga was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister of Development and Welfare, with responsibility for all areas of planning, social development and culture. He initiated the redevelopment of Back O'Wall, a notorious large slum in West Kingston, and its replacement by housing, schools and community amenities, which was named

Tivoli Gardens Tivoli Gardens, also known simply as Tivoli, is an amusement park and pleasure garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. The park opened on 15 August 1843 and is the third-oldest operating amusement park in the world, after Dyrehavsbakken in nearby Kla ...

. Seaga was accused of using his position to destroy

Rastafarian Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control ...

communities in Back O'Wall, replacing them with supporters of the JLP, creating what became notorious as a "garrison" constituency. Seaga also used his position to continue to promote Jamaican music. Following the

1967 Jamaican general election General elections were held in Jamaica on 21 February 1967.Dieter Nohlen (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p430 The result was a victory for the Jamaica Labour Party, which won 33 of the 53 seats. Voter turnout was ...

, Seaga was appointed

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

and Planning. In 1964, Seaga championed the cause calling for the return of the remains of

Marcus Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African ...

to Jamaica. However, four years later, Seaga was a part of the Cabinet of prime minister

Hugh Shearer Hugh Lawson Shearer (18 May 1923 – 15 July 2004) was a Jamaican trade unionist and politician, who served as the 3rd Prime Minister of Jamaica, from 1967 to 1972. Biography Early life Born in Trelawny Parish, Jamaica, near the sugar an ...

that banned

Walter Rodney Walter Anthony Rodney (23 March 1942 – 13 June 1980) was a Guyanese historian, political activist and academic. His notable works include '' How Europe Underdeveloped Africa'', first published in 1972. Rodney was assassinated in Georgeto ...

from Jamaica for allegedly stirring up racial hatred. In the

1972 Jamaican general election General elections were held in Jamaica on 29 February 1972.Dieter Nohlen (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p430 The result was a victory for the People's National Party, which won 37 of the 53 seats. Voter turnout w ...

, the PNP led by

Michael Manley Michael Norman Manley (10 December 1924 – 6 March 1997) was a Jamaican politician who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1972 to 1980 and from 1989 to 1992. Manley championed a democratic socialist program, and has been ...

won 37 seats to the JLP's 16, and Shearer and Seaga were swept out of power. In 1974 he became Leader of the JLP, a post he held for 30 years; he was also Leader of the Parliamentary Opposition in various periods. In the

1976 Jamaican general election General elections were held in Jamaica on 15 December 1976. Dieter Nohlen (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p430 The result was a victory for the People's National Party The People's National Party (PNP) is a ...

, the PNP won another landslide, winning 47 seats to the JLP's 13. The turnout was a very high 85 percent.Dieter Nohlen (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook'', Volume I, p. 430. There was a lot of political violence in the 1970s. This allegedly started in 1975, after

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

failed in his attempts to get Manley to stop his support for

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

and

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordinat ...

, and their fight against the armies of apartheid

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

. The CIA allegedly supplied arms to supporters of the JLP, and there was a significant upturn in political violence. This climaxed with running gun-battles in the

1980 Jamaican general election General elections were held in Jamaica on 30 October 1980.Dieter Nohlen (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p430 The balance of power in the 60-seat Jamaican House of Representatives was dramatically-shifted. Prior ...

, which was won by the JLP in a landslide.

Prime Minister

Edward P.G. Seaga became

Prime Minister of Jamaica The prime minister of Jamaica is Jamaica's head of government, currently Andrew Holness. Holness, as leader of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), was sworn in as prime minister on 7 September 2020, having been re-elected as a result of t ...

following 30 October 1980 general election, when the JLP won a landslide victory over the incumbent PNP, with the largest mandate until 1993, when the PNP surpassed that total. Out of 60 seats contested in 1980, the JLP won 51 seats to the PNP's nine. The mandate of Seaga and the JLP was renewed in the uncontested 1983 General Elections. He continued as Prime Minister until February 1989. Widely regarded as the most influential Jamaican Prime Minister, Seaga was a controversial figure. His supporters claim that he 'saved' Jamaica from communism, while others assert that he 'mash up' Jamaica. Columnist and attorney-at-law Daniel Thwaites said that while these diametrically opposed sentiments run to the extremes, both are surprisingly prevalent. "It is a barometer of the lasting contentiousness and potential divisiveness of any appraisal of Papa Eddie", Thwaites said, arguing that the only other figure in Jamaican political history who could possibly be as controversial as Seaga would be his nemesis, the late former Prime Minister Michael Manley. Thwaites said, "because of their titanic decades-long confrontation, they will be forever – and, perhaps ironically – inextricably linked".Gleaner Company
; retrieved 29 May 2019. In terms of foreign policy, the Caribbean has long been seen as an unofficial "backyard" of the United States of America. In a region with such a complicated, intertwined history meshed with various world superpowers, the act of making decisions that can irrevocably effect the country is handled with care. Understanding the threat associated with communism, Seaga reversed the hands of friendship extended by Manley to

and Grenada, two countries that had adopted strong anti-American stances during the Russo-American political standoff of the 70s and 80s. In an attempt to steer his country into the clear, he was forced into adopting an alliance with world leaders such as

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

and

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

, Seaga cut ties with Cuba shortly after winning the 1980 election, and he, as the representative of the strongest Caribbean nation, indirectly acknowledged the Caribbean's support for the US invasion of Grenada in 1983. In doing so, Seaga is credited with preventing the eradication of Jamaica economically and saving the country from a path leading to shackling sanctions like Cuba or a foreign invasion to eliminate communism as seen in Grenada. In the 1980s, the Seaga administration became embroiled in accusations of a dark circle of narco-banking involving the contras of

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the coun ...

, the CIA and the Israeli money-launderer Eli Tisona. Seaga's Agro 21 programme was accused of involvement in cocaine trafficking from

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...

, and its Spring Plains project employed Shower Posse's Lester Coke, a.k.a. Jim Brown, as Head of Security. However, these allegations went unproven, with all investigations coming up blank.

Leader of the Opposition

Seaga served as Leader of Opposition from 1974 to 1980. The JLP was defeated in a landslide by Manley's PNP in the

1989 Jamaican general election General elections were held in Jamaica on 9 February 1989. The result was a victory for the People's National Party, which won 45 of the 60 seats. Voter turnout was 78.4%. They were the first seriously contested elections since 1980, as the PNP ...

, by a margin of 45 seats to 15, and Seaga returned to a long spell as Leader of Opposition. Seaga went on to lead the JLP to defeat in a number of subsequent elections against a PNP led by P.J. Patterson. In the

1993 Jamaican general election General elections were held in Jamaica on 30 March 1993.Dieter Nohlen (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p430 The result was a victory for the People's National Party, which won 52 of the 60 seats. Voter turnout was ...

, the PNP won 52 seats to the JLP's eight seats, while in the

1997 Jamaican general election File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

, the PNP won 50 of the 60 seats available. Patterson's third consecutive victory came in the

2002 Jamaican general election General elections were held in Jamaica on 16 October 2002.Dieter Nohlen (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p430 The result was a victory for the People's National Party, which won 34 of the 60 seats, whilst voter tu ...

, when the PNP retained power, but with a reduced seat majority of 34 seats to 26. Patterson stepped down on 26 February 2006, and was replaced by

Portia Simpson-Miller Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller (born 12 December 1945) is a Jamaican politician. She served as Prime Minister of Jamaica from March 2006 to September 2007 and again from 5 January 2012 to 3 March 2016. She was the leader of the People's Nationa ...

, Jamaica's first female Prime Minister. During this period of time, he suffered leadership challenges from a number of his colleagues, such as the "Gang of Five" of Errol Anderson, Edmund Bartlett, Karl Samuda, Douglas Vaz, and Pearnel Charles. In 1995,

Bruce Golding Orette Bruce Golding (born 5 December 1947) is a former Jamaican politician who served as eighth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 11 September 2007 to 23 October 2011. He is a member of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), which he led from 2005 to h ...

left the JLP to form a new party, the National Democratic Movement (NDM). In 2002, Golding rejoined the JLP and in November 2003 was again elected chairman of the party. He was elected leader of the JLP, and also the leader of the opposition, on 20 February 2005, succeeding Seaga.

Contributions to independent Jamaica

Economic and financial development

Seaga established many of the financial institutions required in newly independent Jamaica to build a financial market for successful economic investment and growth, including the following: *1967, first Jamaican majority-owned commercial bank - Jamaica Citizens Bank (JCB) *1968, Jamaica Stock Exchange *1969, decimalization of the Jamaican currency *1969,

nationalization Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to p ...

of financial institutions - banks and insurance companies *1969, Introduction of merchant banking *1971, Jamaica Unit Trust 1972 Jamaica Mortgage Bank 1981

National Development Bank A national development bank is a development bank created by a country's government that provides financing for the purposes of economic development of the country. List of development banks Americas * Business Development Bank of Canada * Brazili ...

(NDB) 1981

Agricultural Credit Bank The Farm Credit System (FCS) in the United States is a nationwide network of borrower-owned lending institutions and specialized service organizations. The Farm Credit System provides more than $304 billion in loans, leases, and related services t ...

(ACB) 1982 Agro 21 *1982, Divestment Programme, commencing with lease of government-owned hotels *1984, Self-Start Fund *1985, Comprehensive Tax Reforms including a flat income tax rate for all *1985, Solidarity Programme for micro-businesses *1986, Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank) *1986, De-regulation of economy, commencing with removal of import licensing; later price controls *1986, Privatization of financial institutions - NCB *1987, JAMPRO (formerly JNIP) *1988, Digiport - first satellite telecommunications data processing operation - Montego Bay *1988, One Million Trees Programme

Planning and development

Rural and urban planning and the environment have been prime areas of development in Seaga's career. He has focused on waterfront development in the main coastal towns and cities, rural and urban township development programmes, and the development of parks and markets. They included the following: *1963, 5-Year Development Plan *1966, Redevelopment of Kingston Waterfront *1967, Comprehensively planned urban communities - runs out the rasta from the Back-o-Wall community claiming to redevelop as Tivoli Garden, a modern, fully planned urban development; Hellshire Hills development; Torrington Park *1967, Reclamation and development of Ocho Rios Waterfront (Turtle Beach) *1968 Urban Development Corporation 1969 Comprehensive development plan for infrastructure of many rural towns (later CRDTDP) 1971 20-Year Physical Development Plan 1983 National Conference Centre - headquarters of the International Seabed Authority 1983 National Committee for Drug Abuse 1985 MPM - Beautification and Public Cleansing 1988 Reclamation of Montego Bay Waterfront 1988 Negril development (Bloody Bay) 1988 Social Well-being Plan Various Times Land Bank - purchase of 50,000 acres of prime properties for future development (Negril, Orange Bay, Auchindown, Mt. Edgecombe, Seville, Laughing Water, Belmont (Dunns River), Winifred Rest Home property, Caymanas). Various Times Development of several hotels - Kingston Waterfront, Ocho Rios, Negril.

Social programmes

Seaga was the architect of a wide range of social programmes which expanded training in human resources, aided small enterprises and protected the poor and vulnerable. 1963 Construction of the National Arena 1963 Things Jamaican - craft development 1963 Launching of the Drug Abuse Committee (later Council) 1964 100 Village Community Development Programme 1965 Community sports development on a structured islandwide basis 1965 The Golden Age Movement 1965 The National Volunteers 1970 Student Revolving Loan Fund for Higher Education 1971 National School Feeding Programme 1972 Establishment of Jamaica Racing Commission and Jockey School 1974 Institute of Mass Communication; later renamed Caribbean Institute of Media & Communication (CARIMAC) 1982 H.E.A.R.T. (Human Employment & Resource Training) 1984 Food Stamp Programme for elderly poor and lactating mothers 1984 ARP - Administrative Reform Programme for fundamental Civil Service reforms 1985 Golden Age Home for the elderly poor 1986 L.E.A.P. (Learning for Earning Activity Programme) for street children 1988 P.A.C.E. (Programme for Advancement of Early Childhood Education) 1988 Residential Halls for UWI, UTECH and Cultural Training Centre

Cultural programmes

Seaga established in independent Jamaica most of the institutions to build cultural awareness and national identity, as well as develop arts, crafts and national heritage. 1963 Jamaica Festival 1964 Promotion to launch Jamaican music (ska) abroad 1964 Return and interment of

's body at Jamaica 1964 Order of National Heroes - Garvey first named hero 1964 National Heroes Park 1965–69 - development of several museums:

Arawak The Arawak are a group of indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. Specifically, the term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to the Lokono of South America and the Taíno, who historically lived in the Greate ...

Port Royal Port Royal is a village located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest city in the Caribbean, functioning as the centre of shipping and ...

1967 ''Jamaica Journal'' publication (

Institute of Jamaica The Institute of Jamaica (IOJ), founded in 1879, is the country's most significant cultural, artistic and scientific organisation:

Recordings

*''Folk Music of Jamaica'' (album recorded by Ethnic Folkways Library), 1978 * ''Reggae Golden Jubilee - Origins of Jamaican Music'', released on 6 November 2012

Personal life

On 22 August 1965, Seaga married Marie Elizabeth "Mitsy" Constantine, Miss Jamaica 1965. They had two sons, Christopher and Andrew, and a daughter Anabella. This marriage was dissolved in 1995. On 14 June 1996, he married Carla Frances Vendryes. Their daughter Gabrielle was born 16 September 2002. With a Masters in Public Administration, Vendryes Seaga has a special interest in sociological research and the development of Jamaican handicraft. She founded the Solidarity project to assist the poor in small entrepreneurial enterprises. She founded an organization to assist victims of violence. Seaga was deeply involved in cultural activities, particularly folk music and all aspects of things Jamaican. A keen gardener and amateur landscaper, he used his love for plants and flowers to develop the Enchanted Garden resort, an attraction in Jamaica. As an athlete, Seaga played on several college and school teams: field hockey, cricket, football, rifle, tennis and swimming (diving). He participated as a member of various hunting clubs and the Jamaica Skeet Club.

Civic activities

In West Kingston, he became the president of the Tivoli Gardens Football, Basketball and Netball clubs. He then became Chairman of the Premier League Football Association and the Professional Football Association of Jamaica, with responsibility for the 12 Premier League teams and the staging of the Premier League.

Later years and death

On 20 January 2005, Edward Seaga retired as Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party, a position he had held for 30 years. He retired as a Member of Parliament after serving for 43 years in the House of Representatives, in addition to two years in the Senate. He has the longest period of continuous service of any elected representative in the Caribbean region. With appointments to academia at the

, the

Institute of Jamaica The Institute of Jamaica (IOJ), founded in 1879, is the country's most significant cultural, artistic and scientific organisation:University of Technology An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

, he became engaged in research and writing, as well as teaching and leadership. On 28 May 2019, his 89th birthday, Seaga died in Miami, Florida, where he had been receiving treatment for

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

.Edward Seaga has died at 89
/ref>

Honours and awards

*1980, ''

Fortune Magazine ''Fortune'' is an American multinational business magazine headquartered in New York City. It is published by Fortune Media Group Holdings, owned by Thai businessman Chatchaval Jiaravanon. The publication was founded by Henry Luce in 1929. The ...

'' named him as a "Man of the Year," the first and only such accolade to anyone in this region *In 1981, Seaga was appointed by Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...

as a member of Her Majesty's Privy Council. *In 2002, the Government of Jamaica awarded him the Order of the Nation, the second highest honour In 2005, the University of the West Indies awarded him the honorary title of Distinguished Fellow for Life. He was also installed as a Fellow of the Institute of Jamaica, devoted to the arts and sciences. *That year, he was appointed as Chancellor of the University of Technology Seaga was also honoured by several other countries: *1981,

Republic of Venezuela The Republic of Venezuela was a democratic republic first established in 1958, and replaced in 1999 by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Venezuela saw ten years of military dictatorship from 1948 to 1958. After the 1948 Venezuelan coup ...

– Grand Collar de Libertador *Republic of Venezuela –

Gold Mercury International Award The Gold Mercury International Award is presented by Gold Mercury International, an International nongovernmental organization (INGO) and think tank. The original Mercurio D'oro awards were given by an association of Italian journalists to Italian ...

; and *

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its ea ...

– Grand Gwangwa Medal, Order of Diplomatic Service *1982,

Federal Republic of Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...

– Grand Cross of the Order of Merit *1987,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

–

Order of the Aztec Eagle The Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle ( es, Orden Mexicana del Águila Azteca) forms part of the Mexican Honours System and is the highest Mexican order awarded to foreigners in the country. History It was created by decree on December 29, 1933 ...

He received several prestigious international awards: *Gleaner Honour Awards: Man of the Year, 1980, 1981 *Avenue of the Americas Association, N.Y. – Gold Key Award (1981) *American Friendship Medal bestowed by the Freedom Foundation, 1982 *

Pan American Development Foundation The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) believes in creating a hemisphere of opportunity, for all. PADF works across Latin America and the Caribbean to make the region stronger—more healthy, peaceful, just, inclusive, resilient, and susta ...

Inter-American Man of the Year Development Award (1983) *Dr.

Martin Luther King Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

Humanitarian Award (1984) *

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on ...

– the Environmental Leadership Award (1987) Seaga was appointed as a Distinguished Fellow by the University of the West Indies, Fellow of the Institute of Jamaica, and Pro-Chancellor of the University of Technology Honorary Degrees: *

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

, LL.D. (1981) *Tampa University, LL.D. (1982) * University of South Carolina, LL.D. (1983) *

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...

, LL.D. (1983) *

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and ...

, LL.D. (1987)

References

External links

Government of Jamaica Information Service Biography Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seaga, Edward 1930 births 2019 deaths Prime Ministers of Jamaica Finance ministers of Jamaica Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom American emigrants to Jamaica Harvard College alumni American people of Scottish descent American people of Indian descent American people of Lebanese descent American people of Jamaican descent Jamaican people of Indian descent Jamaican people of Scottish descent Jamaican people of Lebanese descent University of the West Indies academics Jamaica Labour Party politicians Recipients of the Order of the Nation Politicians from Boston Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Deaths from cancer in Florida