Eli Joseph Matalon, OJ (January 9, 1924 – October 31, 1999) was a Jamaican businessman and politician, representing the People's National Party (PNP). He served as Mayor of

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

from 1971 to 1973, as Minister of Education from 1973 to 1974, and as the first Minister of National Security and Justice from 1974 to 1976.

Early life and education

Matalon was born Eleyahu Joseph Matalon on January 9, 1924 in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...

. He was seventh of eleven children born to Joseph Isaac Matalon, merchant, and Florizel Madge Matalon (née Henriques). Matalon was educated at Kingston College.

Military service

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Matalon served as a flying officer in the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

. He was a bomber pilot in the 6th Group Bomber Command.

Business career

Upon his return to Jamaica after military service, Matalon set up a cocoa-processing factory in the 1950s and ran Tropicair Jalousies and West Indies Paints, subsidiaries of ICD Group Limited, a Matalon family-owned investment holding company. He subsequently rose to become coordinator for all manufacturing and the building products division of ICD Group Limited.

Political career

Matalon first stood for elected office in the Parish Council Elections of 1969. He was elected Councillor for the

Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation The Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation (KSAC) is a unit of local government in Jamaica. It was formed in 1923 when the parishes of Saint Andrew and Kingston were administratively merged. It is divided into 15 Political Constituencies, which ar ...

and subsequently as Mayor of Kingston from 1971 to 1973. In February 1973, after the PNP's victory at the polls in the 1972 general election, Matalon was appointed as

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and Minister of State in the Ministry of Education in the Michael Manley-led administration. He served in this capacity until he was elevated to the position of Minister of Education, succeeding Sir Florizel Glasspole, who has been appointed

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

. Glasspole was the first member of Parliament for Kingston East and Port Royal constituency, and had represented the area in Parliament for 29 years. Matalon successfully contested the resulting by-election, becoming the first Jamaican of Jewish descent to be elected to the House of Representatives. In 1974, the Ministry of National Security and Justice was created to replace the former ministries of home affairs and defense. Matalon was appointed as the first holder of the newly-created cabinet portfolios. He was succeeded in his former position of Minister of Education by Sir Howard Cooke. Matalon stepped down as Minister of National Security and Justice after only two years in office due to failing health. He was succeeded as Minister of Justice by

Carl Rattray Raphael Carl Rattray QC (18 September 1929 – 14 March 2012) was a Jamaican jurist and politician. Rattray was born in 1929 in St. Elizabeth. He began his career in law in England before being called to the Jamaica Bar in 1958. In 1969, ...

and by

Keble Munn ''The Honourable'' Keble Aubrey Munn, O.J. (born February 15, 1920 in New York, USA - died April 14, 2008 in Kingston, Jamaica

as Minister of National Security.

Honors and awards

Matalon was awarded the

Order of Jamaica The Order of Jamaica is the fifth of the six orders in the Jamaican honours system. The Order was established in 1969, and it is considered the equivalent of a knighthood in the British honours system. Membership in the Order can be conferred upon ...

for public service in 1975. He was appointed Ambassador-at-large for Jamaica in February 1989.

Mico University College The Mico University College (The Mico) is an institution of higher education in Kingston, Jamaica. History The Mico was founded in 1835 through the Lady Mico Charity, one of four teacher training institutions established during this period i ...

, the oldest teacher-training institution in Jamaica, named its main auditorium the Eli Matalon Gymnasium in honour of Matalon.

Personal life and death

Matalon married Hilary (née Surridge) on March 14, 1950. The couple had 3 sons and 2 daughters. In 1976, Matalon suffered a massive heart attack, which caused him to retire from public office. In later years he lived in Miami, Florida, where he died on October 31, 1999, at the age of 75.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Matalon, Eli 1924 births 1999 deaths Politicians from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican businesspeople Jamaican politicians Mayors of Kingston, Jamaica Members of the Order of Jamaica Jamaican people of Jewish descent People's National Party (Jamaica) politicians Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II