Emory King (February 22, 1931,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, United States – August 14, 2007) was a self proclaimed

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

, and

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

. He served the nation of Belize in a number of capacities, including as National Film Commissioner.

Travel to Belize

In 1953, at the age of 22, King and a group of friends sailed south from the United States on a yacht and were shipwrecked off the coast of Belize, due to the

barrier reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. C ...

. After recovering, King elected to stay. King notably helped find a home for the German-Dutch

Mennonites Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

, who had been expelled from Mexico in the 1950s.

Association with the PUP and media

King found work with the ruling

People's United Party The People's United Party (, PUP) is one of two major political parties in Belize. It is currently the governing party of Belize after success in the 2025 Belizean general election, winning a majority of 26 seats out of 31 in the Belizean Hou ...

, becoming especially close to leader

George Cadle Price George Cadle Price (15 January 191919 September 2011) was a Belizean statesman who served as the head of government of Belize from 1961 to 1984 and 1989 to 1993. He was the first minister and premier under British rule until independence in 198 ...

, and becoming a columnist/editor for the

Belize Times ''The Belize Times'' is a Belizean newspaper published once a week and the official organ of the People's United Party (PUP). It was established in 1956 and sells for BZ$1 Its offices are located at the PUP's Belize City headquarters at 3 Queen S ...

in the 1970s. Also at that time King was named Film Commissioner; he was responsible for bringing several documentaries and films to Belize, working with both the predecessors of Belize's two television stations:

Great Belize Television Great Belize Television, or as it is locally known, Channel 5, is a Belize City-based local television station established in December 1991. Channel 5 airs mostly American and Caribbean programs, as well as a variety of locally produced programs. ...

and

Tropical Vision Limited Tropical Vision Limited, or as it is locally known, Channel 7, is a Belize City based television station A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, ...

. King also had bit parts in several movies produced in Belize, for more see

's article. King also wrote several books, both historical and personal. Among them are Emory King's Drivers' Guide to Belize, The Great Story of Belize series, and others. King was criticized for holding controversial historical views, particularly over the

Battle of St. George's Caye The Battle of St. George's Caye was a military engagement that lasted from 3 to 10 September 1798, off the coast of British Honduras (present-day Belize). However, the name is typically reserved for the final battle that occurred on 10 Septemb ...

, where he clashed with Belizean

Evan X Hyde Evan Anthony Hyde (better known as Evan X Hyde; born 30 April 1947) is a Belizean writer, journalist, media executive and former politician. He publishes and writes for the nation's largest newspaper, ''Amandala'', and oversees its subsidiaries ...

. He once headed the Belize Historical Society.
Hyde on King and the 1931 hurricane

Family and death

King married his wife Elisa King and had several children, one of whom, Alex, predeceased him. He also had several grandchildren. King died from complications due to cancer on August 14, 2007 at his home in Tropical Park on the Western Highway, east of

Hattieville Hattieville is a village in the Belize District of the nation of Belize. It is located at 17N 88W, at an elevation of above mean sea level, and has a population of about 1,300 people. Hattieville was established as a refugee camp after Hurrican ...

Filmography

References and external links

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Emory King obit by Stewart Krohn

Channel 7 Emory King tribute
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Emory 1931 births 2007 deaths Writers from Jacksonville, Florida Belizean journalists American emigrants to Belize Belizean media personalities Belizean writers Television executives People's United Party Government of Belize Deaths from cancer in Belize 20th-century Belizean writers 21st-century Belizean writers 20th-century journalists