Romeo Alexander Horton (1923–2005) was a

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

n economist, banker, and civil servant. Horton conceived the idea of the African Development Bank and was one of the founders of the bank.

Early life

Romeo Horton was born to Reverend Daniel Horton, a Jamaican minister, and Ora Milner Horton, an African American from Georgia on August 20, 1923, in

Monrovia, Liberia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As th ...

. Horton began his education at the

Ricks Institute Ricks may refer to: People * Andre Ricks (born 1996), American basketball player * Bob Ricks (21st century), American police chief * Christopher Ricks (born 1933), British literary critic and scholar * Doug Ricks, American politician and member ...

in Virginia, Liberia, under the tutelage of his father who was principal. Horton's father transferred to the Booker Washington Institute (specifically to the Agriculture Department) and Horton also enrolled there and graduated his eighth grade class in 1937. Horton graduated from

Morehouse College , mottoeng = And there was light (literal translation of Latin itself translated from Hebrew: "And light was made") , type = Private historically black men's liberal arts college , academic_affiliations ...

in Atlanta, Georgia.

Professional career

As a businessman, he was the founder and president of the Bank of Liberia. He briefly served as the president of Liberia National Airlines. As a civil servant, he served as an economic advisor to William Tubman, the 19th president of

, before he was promoted to Secretary of Commerce, Industry and Labor. He was the chairman of the Liberia Elections Support Group and the managing director of the Economic Community of West African States. His memoir, ''For Country, Africa, and My People'' was published in 2004.

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horton, Romeo A. Americo-Liberian people People of Americo-Liberian descent 1923 births 2005 deaths People from Monrovia Liberian businesspeople 20th-century businesspeople Liberian expatriates in the United States Liberian people of Jamaican descent Morehouse College alumni

Early life

Professional career

See also

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References