Sir Henry Edney Conrad Cain (2 December 1924 – 17 January 2008) was a Belizean accountant who dedicated 51 years of his life as a public servant. He was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

ed in 1986 by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

and received the award of "Order of Distinguished Service" in 2006. He is recognized as a renowned Belizean because of his contribution to the stabilizing of Belize's high

liquidity Liquidity is a concept in economics involving the convertibility of assets and obligations. It can include: * Market liquidity In business, economics or investment, market liquidity is a market's feature whereby an individual or firm can quic ...

and payment problems in 1987 through which he rebuilt Belize's

foreign reserves Foreign exchange reserves (also called forex reserves or FX reserves) are cash and other reserve assets such as gold and silver held by a central bank or other monetary authority that are primarily available to balance payments of the country, ...

Education

Sir Edney Cain began his education attending Ebenezer Primary School followed by St. George's College and St. Michael's College. He furthered his studies in 1953 and 1954 by taking courses in

accountancy Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activities and conveys ...

and

audit An audit is an "independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit oriented or not, irrespective of its size or legal form when such an examination is conducted with a view to express an opinion thereon." Auditing al ...

in the United Kingdom at his own expense. He continued his professional training by receiving a certificate after sitting the Association of Certified & Corporation Accountant's Intermediate Examinations in 1954. Not stopping there, he continued his studies later receiving several accounting certificates; one being certification from the Association of Certified Corporate Accountant of the Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.

Government service

Sir Edney Cain began his service with the

Government of Belize His Majesty's Government in Belize, also referred to as the Belizean Government is the democratic administrative authority of Belize, a constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. It was formed in 1981 after gaining sovereignty from ...

in 1940, at the age of 16, as a messenger at the Wireless Station and continued serving the government, climbing the organizational ladder. He became the first governor of the

Central Bank of Belize The Central Bank of Belize is the central bank of Belize, established in 1982. In 2021 Gustavo Manuel Vasquez was chosen to serve as Governor, replacing A. Joy Grant, who had served in the role since 2016.ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

and he held that title multiple times until 1990. His most significant contribution to the government was in 1987 when he joined the Ministry of Finance becoming the Financial Secretary. This was a challenging time for Belize because of severe liquidity and payment problems that Belize was experiencing. At this time Belize was also in the middle of a Structural Adjustment Program with the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...

. Cain resolved these problems within a period of 2 years in which he also rebuilt the

. He continued serving the Government of Belize until he retired in December 1991.

Posts held

* Messenger at the Wireless Station, 1940 * Supernumerary Probationer and Junior clerk, 1942 * Third Class Clerk, 1945 * Second Class Clerk, 1946 * First Class Clerk at the Audit Department, 1953 * Examiner of Accounts and Sr. Examiner of Accounts, 1955 * Auditor in the Audit Department, 1959 * Assistant Accountant General, 1961 * Accountant General, 1963 * On special assignment to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, 1970 * First Managing Director of the Belize Monetary Authority, 1976 * First Governor of the

Central Bank A central bank, reserve bank, national bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the monetary policy of a country or monetary union. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central bank possesses a monopoly on increasing the mo ...

, 1982-1983 * Belize's first resident

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

to the United States of America 1984 * Belize's non-resident High Commissioner to Canada, 1984 * Financial Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, 1987 * Belize's resident High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ambassador to France, Germany, Belgium and the Vatican, 1987–1990 * Governor of the Central Bank, 1991

Honors

* Appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in 1965 * Appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in 1975 *

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

ed by

in 1986 * Received the award of "Order of Distinguished Service" at Belize's 25th anniversary of Independence in 2006. * On June 26, 2008 the New Administration Building in

Belmopan Belmopan () is the capital city of Belize. Its population in 2010 was 16,451. Belmopan is the smallest capital city in the continental Americas (by population) and the third-largest settlement in Belize, behind Belize City and San Ignacio. Fou ...

was renamed to the "Sir Edney Cain Building" in his honor of being such a large contributor to the financial stability of Belize.

Literature

* Collection of poems written in 1948 entitled ''When the Angel Says "Write"!''.

Death

After battling cancer for eight years, Sir Edney Cain passed away at the age of 83 in his home in

on 17 January 2008. Five days later, a state funeral was held for him at the Wesley Methodist Church in

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize. It was once the capital city, capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2022 census, Belize City has a population of 63,999 people. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, which is a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cain, Edney 1924 births 2008 deaths People from Belmopan Governors of Bank of Belize Ambassadors of Belize to the United States Ambassadors of Belize to France Ambassadors of Belize to Germany Ambassadors of Belize to the Holy See Ambassadors of Belize to Belgium High commissioners of Belize to Canada High commissioners of Belize to the United Kingdom Officers of the Order of the British Empire Knights Bachelor