Bustamante, William Alexander (1884–1977)

Born to an Irish Catholic farmer and an indigenous mother, William Alexander Bustamante became a tireless advocate of workers' rights and, eventually, the first prime minister of Jamaica. In his youth he lived in Cuba, Panama, and the United States; when he returned home, his passions were stirred by the ubiquitous poverty in Jamaica. Throughout the 1930s Bustamante spearheaded protests and workers' rallies, wrote extensively about social inequalities in Jamaica, fought for universal suffrage, and was imprisoned repeatedly for his protest activities. In 1938 he founded Jamaica's first trade union, the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union. In the 1940s he joined forces with his cousin Norman W. Manley (1893–1969), a lawyer who was forming the People's National Party (PNP). Bustamante split with the PNP in 1942, forming the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). The JLP acquired significant clout in the 1940s and 1950s. The split between Bustamante and Manley widened over the issue of federation with other British West Indian islands, which Bustamante opposed. When the JLP won 26 of 45 seats in a general election on 10 April 1962, Bustamante was appointed premier, moving Jamaica toward independence. On 6 August 1962, the island gained its independence, and with it Bustamante became the first prime minister of Jamaica. Illness truncated his agenda two years later, and he officially retired in 1967. He died on 6 August 1977, the fifteenth anniversary of Jamaica's independence.

See alsoJamaica .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hurwitz, Samuel J. "The Federation of the West Indies: A Study in Nationalism." Journal of British Studies 6, no. 1 (November 1966): 139-168.

Jamaican Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture. "Jamaica's National Heroes: William Alexander Bustamante." Available from http://www.moec.gov.jm/heroes/bustamante.htm.

                                        Sean H. Goforth