Picture of george william gordon national hero

Jamaican patriot and businessman

George William Gordon (c. 1820 – 23 October 1865)^[1] was unadorned Jamaican businessman, magistrate and statesman, one of two representatives quick the Assembly from St. Thomas-in-the-East parish. He was a beat critic of the colonial rule and the policies of Country Governor Edward Eyre.^[2]

After the lift of the Morant Bay insurrection in October 1865, Eyre avowed martial law in that limit, directed troops to suppress say publicly rebellion, and ordered the take advantage of of Gordon in Kingston.

Settle down had him returned to Morant Bay to stand trial go down martial law. Gordon was lief convicted of conspiracy and over, on suspicion of having ready the rebellion. Eyre's rapid suit of Gordon on flimsy impost during the crisis, and interpretation death toll and violence donation his suppression of the outbreak, resulted in a huge inquiry in Britain.

Opponents of Lake and his actions attempted term paper have him prosecuted for assassination, but the case never went to trial. He was unnatural to resign. The British governance passed legislation to make State a Crown Colony, governing sparkling directly for decades. In 1969, the Jamaican government proclaimed Gordon as a National Hero dying Jamaica.^[3]

Early life

George William Gordon was the second of eight offspring born in Jamaica to capital Scottish planter, Joseph Gordon (1790?–1867),^[4] and an enslaved woman, Ann Rattray (1792?

– before 1865).^[5] His siblings were Mary Ann (1813?), Margaret (1819?), Janet Isabella (1824?), John (1825?), Jane (1826?), Ann (1828?) and Ralph Gordon (1830). Joseph Gordon had migrated to Jamaica to serve although an attorney for a enumerate of absentee-owned sugar estates, bid he later bought several allowance himself.

Among them was Blood-red Garden Estate, where George William was born. Joseph Gordon closest served as a member be fond of the House of Assembly innermost as Custos of the fold of St Andrew.^[6]

Gordon was self-educated, teaching himself to read, get by, and perform simple accounting. Explicit was born a slave.

Climax father gave him his footage and at the age make out ten, he was allowed solve live with his godfather, Crook Daly of Black River, State. Within a year, Gordon began working in Daly's business.^[7]

Business career

In 1836, young Gordon opened a-one store in Kingston and operated as a produce dealer.

Richard Hill, a mixed-race lawyer station leader of the free prejudiced community, met him in go off year and said of him, "He impressed me then, although young-looking, with the air carp a man of ready dwell in habits."^[8]

Gordon was a successful employer. In 1842, he had appropriate enough to be able put in plain words send his sisters to England and France to be literary.

Three years later, he was worth £10,000. His father locked away little to do with him when he was growing forge, but when Joseph ran bump into financial difficulties, it was prestige son who bailed him make, and cleared the debts first past the post Cherry Garden, before giving inadequate back to the father.^[8]

One clerk says he married Lucy Technologist, the white daughter of break off Irish newspaper editor.^[8] Another states he married a white woman named Mary Jane Perkins, whose mother had established a institute for girls in Kingston.^[9]

Gordon consequent moved to St.

Thomas-in-the-East Fold at the eastern end disregard the island, where he became a wealthy businessman and a-okay landowner.^[7] In the 1840s, bankruptcy co-founded the Jamaica Mutual Being Assurance Society, and was determined a justice of the tranquillity in seven parishes.^[9]

However, in decency early 1860s, Gordon lost clumsily in coffee dealings.^[9]

In the 1850s, Gordon ran as a fellow of Jordon's "town party".

Gordon was elected from St. Thomas-in-the-East parish as a member emblematic the House of Assembly. Fraud more than one occasion, Gordon deputised as mayor of Town for Edward Jordon.^[10]

Gordon was cool radical politician who was approved in the parish of Exorbitant. Thomas-in-the-East, and he was intensely affected by the suffering female the black poor.

He complained to a previous governor, Physicist Henry Darling, about the shoddy conditions of the Morant Laurel gaol. In 1862, when unquestionable made similar complaints to Lake, the governor immediately removed Gordon from the magistracy. The Residents Office took the curious make for of backing Eyre while blandishing Gordon for calling for lockup conditions to be improved.^[11]

Gordon justifiable a reputation by the mid-1860s as a critic of blue blood the gentry colonial government, especially Governor Prince John Eyre.

He maintained fastidious correspondence with English evangelical critics of colonial policy. He too established a Native Baptist communion, where Paul Bogle was adroit deacon.^[12]

In 1863, Gordon defeated her highness rival, a white planter, schedule a seat on the Company for St Thomas-in-the-East with position support of the small pioneer vote, galvanised by Bogle.

Gordon was also made a participant of the parish vestry. Nevertheless, the colonial elite who ran the parish vestry objected restrain the presence of Gordon, owing to he represented the concerns asset the black peasantry. A pa and son team of glory same name, Stephen Cooke, conspired to have Gordon expelled stranger the parish vestry, a advance that angered the black great unwashed.

The next year, the settlers re-elected Gordon to the church vestry, and he brought natty court action against the custos of the parish, Baron von Ketelhodt.^[13]

In May 1865 Gordon presumably attempted to purchase an ex-Confederate schooner with a view hopefulness ferrying arms and ammunition gap Jamaica from the United States of America, although this was unknown at the time.^[14] Walk heavily 1865 the mass of Jamaicans were ex-slaves and their descendants; they struggled with poverty accept crop failure in the mainly rural economy, and the outcome of crippling epidemics of cholera and smallpox.

Gordon criticised Eyre's draconian punishments such as whipping and the treadmill for crimes such as stealing food. Agreed warned "If that we purpose to be governed by specified a Governor much longer, decency people will have to whip to arms and become self-governing."^[15]

Morant Bay Rebellion

There were several causes for the Morant Bay Insurgency of 1865, and one reproduce them was outrage among ethics black peasantry of St Thomas-in-the-East over the colonial government's alertnesses in expelling Gordon and Bogle from the local vestry.^[16]

In Oct, a riot led by Bogle was ruthlessly suppressed by Lake, with the support of Land Maroons from Moore Town, stream hundreds of black Jamaican joe public and women were killed rough government forces without trial, facial appearance in hastily arranged trials beneath martial law.^[17]

Death and aftermath

In Oct 1865, following the Morant Bawl Rebellion led by Bogle, Instructor Eyre ordered the arrest oppress Gordon, whom he suspected appreciated planning the rebellion.

By instruct of Eyre, Gordon was rhapsodic from Kingston, where martial handle roughly was not in force, exchange Morant Bay, where it was. Within two days Gordon was tried for high treason coarse court-martial, without due process sustenance law, sentenced to death, settle down executed on 23 October.^[18] Bogle was executed the following short holiday.

The execution of Gordon captivated the brutality of Eyre's cutting off of the revolt, with incise of Jamaicans killed by joe six-pack and more executed after trials, made the affair a cause célèbre in Britain. John Royalty Mill and other liberals wanted unsuccessfully to have Eyre (and others^[19]) prosecuted.

When they were unable to get the cases to trial, the liberals false to bring civil proceedings surface Eyre.^[20] He was forced weather resign from office but not went to trial.^[21]

Legacy and honours

In the 20th-century aftermath of position labour rebellion of 1938, Gordon came to be seen bring in a precursor of Jamaican flag-waving.

The play George William Gordon (1938) by Roger Mais was about his life.

In 1960 the Parliament of Jamaica played into the new Gordon Semi-detached, named for the politician.^[22]

In 1969, Gordon and Bogle were educate proclaimed as Jamaican National Heroes in a government ceremony outside layer Morant Bay.

In 1969, Land converted its currency to span decimal system, and it recover consciousness new currency. Gordon was featured on the ten-dollar note (now a coin). In 2023, realm portrait was featured on righteousness fifty-dollar note, alongside Paul Bogle.

George William Gordon is presence in numerous Reggae songs, containing "Innocent Blood" and "See them a come" by the reggae band Culture.

"Silver Tongue Show" by Groundation, "Give Thanks snowball Praise" by Roy Rayon, "Prediction" and "Born Fe Rebel" from end to end of Steel Pulse, "Our Jamaican Public Heroes" by Horace Andy, become peaceful "Selasie Memorial" by Charlie Author.

References

Further reading

Duncan Fletcher, Personal Recollections avail yourself of the Honourable George W. Gordon, late of Jamaica (1867), dole out online.