Isaiah-Emmanuel-Morter-status-Belize-City

Isaiah Emmanuel Morter (sometimes spelled Isiah) (1860 – 7 April 1924) was born in 1860 in the Freetown district of

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern 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 wate ...

. He was of

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

descent (some say his parents were Ashanti royalty) coming from a line of slaves brought to America from Nigeria.

Marcus Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African ...

wrote that "Morter grew up fighting the oppositions and difficulties generally surrounding one born to his condition, until he lifted himself to the highest pinnacle of service to his race and to his country." By planting and growing bananas and coconuts, Morter built a fortune and is widely regarded as Belize's first

millionaire A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire. In countries that use the short scal ...

of color. His nicknames included "the Coconut King" and "Guinea Sigar" and he owned Caye Chapel and other plantations. For his achievements he was honoured with the award of Knight Commander of Distinguished Service Order of Ethiopia. He was also a strong supporter of Marcus Garvey's

Universal Negro Improvement Association The Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) is a black nationalist fraternal organization founded by Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican immigrant to the United States, and Amy Ashwood Garvey. The Pan-Africa ...

. Morter died on 7 April 1924. A statue of Morter can be found at the end of Albert Street, near St. John's Cathedral , in Belize City. He is not widely known today by the public in Belize.

References

1860 births 1924 deaths Belizean businesspeople {{Belize-bio-stub